London: India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara opened his account for Yorkshire with a half-century that helped the county champions fight back on the second day of their First Division fixture away to Nottinghamshire on Monday.
Pujara was out for a duck in the only innings of his Championship debut against Worcestershire, but his 59 at Trent Bridge came as Yorkshire closed the second day on 226 for three in reply to a Nottinghamshire first-innings total of 428 that featured a double century from England limited overs specialist Alex Hales.
Yorkshire’s Alex Lees led the visitors’ recovery with exactly 100, Pujara helping the rising star add 116 for the second wicket.
Lees’s seventh first-class century came off 223 balls, including 11 fours, before he fell to the next delivery he faced when caught behind off Will Gidman to give former England wicketkeeper Chris Read his 850th first-class dismissal for Nottinghamshire.
Pujara, who hit nine fours in a near three-hour stay at the crease, was out to a brilliant catch by substitute fielder Ben Kitt off the bowling of ex-England left-arm spinner Samit Patel.
In the Second Division, Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara extended his 112 not out into an innings of 149 for Surrey away to Glamorgan at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.
Sangakkara was eventually out when he chipped medium-pacer David Lloyd to extra-cover, having faced 230 balls including 21 fours and one six.
But it was Steven Davies, unbeaten on 109 at Sunday’s close, who really kicked on to finish 200 not out — his maiden first-class double century — as Surrey declared their first innings on 563 for seven.
Glamorgan ended the second day on 124 for two, a deficit of 439, with captain and former South Africa batsman Jacques Rudolph out for 69.
