Who says Yorkshiremen have an ingrained suspicion of legspin? No sooner had the England Under-19 allrounder Adil Rashid announced himself with debut figures of 6 for 67 against Warwickshire than Mark Lawson was firing in a career-best 6 for 150 against Hampshire. The two Yorkshire Academy products, both England Under-19 players, are the first authentic leggies to play for the White Rose since Eddie Leadbeater left for Warwickshire in 1956. Yet it would seem their emergence presages a selection dilemma in the not too distant future unless the director of cricket David Byas opts to play them in tandem. Ian Dews who, as manager of the academy, has nurtured the pair’s precocious talents, does not rule out the idea.

“If you have two bowlers capable of taking six wickets, why not play them both? And these two are different animals anyway. Mark is confident, in-your-face with a lot of variation. He looks to make things happen whereas Adil will sit in there and bowl all day.

“And, of course, Adil is a top-class batsman. Remember, he was brought into the side at Scarborough to replace Darren Lehmann as the batter who could bowl a bit of spin.”

The Wisden Cricketer, Andrew Collomosse