Vishwa Fernando signs off with Yorkshire on a high

Vishwa Fernando is congratulated by his Yorkshire team mates after taking 5/30 against Derbyshire

• Places county in position for promotion to Division One
• Coach Ottis Gibson keen to sign him up for next year

Sri Lanka’s test left-arm pacie Vishwa Fernando who was signed by English county Yorkshire for three Vitality County Championship matches finished off his contract with them on a high, by bowling the county to an innings and 204 run win in three days over Derbyshire at Chesterfield.

Derbyshire was shot out for scores of 76 and 171 in reply to Yorkshire’s 451-9 declared with Fernando finishing with a match bag of 9 for 88.

He took 5/30 to rout Derbyshire in the first innings and followed that performance up with another impressive spell of bowling with 4/58 in the second.

Fernando leaves Yorkshire breathing down the necks of the top two Division two teams, leaders Sussex and second-placed Middlesex. With five games to go, promotion to Division One next year is very much on.

The county’s Coach Ottis Gibson was sorry to see Fernando go with Yorkshire in a strong position.

“He’s has been brilliant for us,” said Gibson. “We were desperately trying to get him in before that Sussex game (at Hove in May). Had we had him for that, I reckon we could have won that game with him bowling the way he’s bowled since he’s been here. He’s played three games and taken wickets in every game. He’s been fantastic.”

Fernando shone for Yorkshire right from his first game capturing 4/48 and 1/26 against Northamptonshire. His debut wicket for Yorkshire in the match brought him his 300th in first-class cricket. In his second game against Gloucestershire, Fernando took 1/40 and 2/25. He leaves the county topping their bowling averages with 17 wickets taken at a cost of 13.35.   

“Vishwa goes off now because we don’t have any red ball cricket until the end of August. He will be with Sri Lanka at the end of August (for the England tour). Then they have another series a week or so after they leave here. We’re not going to have him for the rest of the year, but we’ll certainly look to get him back next year if we can,” said Gibson.

For Fernando the five-week stint with Yorkshire will serve him well when Sri Lanka tours England next month for a three-Test series which is part of the ICC Test Championship. – (ST)