Centurion Jacques Rudolph flayed Nottinghamshire all around Headingley yesterday to give Yorkshire a fantastic chance of saving this LV= County Championship match against their title rivals.

But then the South African flat-batted questions about his future at the club amid reports emanating from his homeland that he is ready for a return to international cricket this winter.

After scoring a superb 141 off 241 balls, including 19 boundaries, he said: “At the moment, I’m still contracted by Yorkshire.

“I don’t want to comment on it any further, I’m still contracted for next season.”

Rudolph has one year left on his Yorkshire deal – and, as things stand, would qualify under the ever-changing Kolpak rules to fulfil that.

The last of his 35 Tests was in August 2006 against Sri Lanka in Colombo, while he has also played 45 one-day internationals.

Looking at a mammoth deficit of 369 runs, Rudolph notched his 16th four-day century in a White Rose shirt to help his side to a second innings score of 272-2 from 89 overs on day three.

The left hander, typically proficient in every area, shared a second-wicket partnership of 211 inside 75 overs with Anthony McGrath, who hit 78 not out off 253 balls.

“In the context of the game, the partnership with McGrath was very important,” continued Rudolph. “We’re still in with a good chance of saving the game.

“We weren’t as good as we should have been in the first two days, and Notts out-played us, but we’ve had a great fightback.”

It was just a shame that Rudolph fell in the latter stages of the day, caught by Andre Adams at gully, off the bowling of Darren Pattinson to leave the score at 269-2 in the 88th over.

While Rudolph passed 13,000 first-class career runs yesterday, and 1,000 in the Championship for the fourth year running, McGrath also closed in on four figures for the summer. He is 22 away.

The former captain had to battle for fluency on a flat and slow pitch.

Nottinghamshire’s only other success was when Paul Franks had Adam Lyth brilliantly caught one-handed by Adams in the gully for 37.

But Rudolph was dropped on 100 by Ally Brown at slip off the bowling of Samit Patel in the middle session.

McGrath, rapped on the hand twice, only hit eight boundaries in his four-and-a-half-hour stay.

The day of excellent batting had been started by Australian David Hussey, who finished on 251 not out off 250 balls as the visitors declared on 545-7.