County Championship: Gary Ballance hits ton for Yorkshire against Middlesex

Gary Ballance's last Test for England was in July 2015 against Australia in the Ashes

Gary Ballance scored a timely century on the opening day of Yorkshire's County Championship Division One match against Middlesex at Scarborough.

In the final round of matches before England name their squad for the first Test against Pakistan, Ballance, a potential candidate for a spot in the middle order, made an unbeaten 106.

With Alex Lees and Tim Bresnan each scoring 63, Yorkshire closed on 291-5.

Tim Murtagh took 3-61, but Steven Finn bowled 21 wicketless overs.

Yorkshire, second in the Championship behind Roses rivals Lancashire, were in danger of wasting sunny conditions after winning the toss.

Adam Lyth fell to Murtagh from the very first ball of the match and, even though his opening partner Lees found some much-needed first-class form, the hosts still slipped to 131-4.

But Bresnan, batting at six, joined Ballance for an entertaining partnership of 126.

After the all-rounder was bowled by the willing Murtagh, Ballance clipped the same bowler for successive boundaries to complete a chanceless century, his first three-figure score in the Championship since last August.