Brooks leaves Tykes with player of year honour

The 34-year-old will ply his trade for Somerset next year after agreeing a three-year deal against the two-year contract that was offered by Yorkshire, but his exit proved a crowning moment after another season in which he proved invaluable to the club.

The former Northamptonshire pace bowler took 51 County Championship wickets, playing a massive part in the final few games of the season to ensure Yorkshire secured a fourth-placed finish.

He took 60 or more wickets in a season for three years running from 2014, coinciding with an immensely successful period for the club under former coach Jason Gillespie, which brought two successive Championship titles.

Brooks claimed 26 per cent of the vote, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ben Coad other strong contenders for the award.

But there was consolation for both players with Coad – who claimed all three major awards at last year’s end-of-season dinner – clinching the Players’ Player of the Year trophy after capturing 48 wickets in an injury-affected 2018 to back-up the 53 Championship victims he amassed in his breakthrough year.

Batsman Kohler-Cadmore, who shone with two vital centuries towards the end of the Championship campaign, won the Young Player of the Year award. Harrogate-born Jonny Tattersall was awarded Fielder of the Year after an impressive first year with the gloves, while the Howard Clayton Second Team Performance of the Year was presented to 17-year-old opening batsman James Wharton. Academy Player of the Year was awarded to Tom Loten.

Shane Warne believes England should seriously consider replacing Yorkshire’s Joe Root with Jos Buttler as Test captain – to allow Root to become the world’s best batsman.

Australia spin great Warne thinks the Yorkshire star could dominate the global game with the bat and feels Buttler would make a “very, very good” Test captain.

Warne worked with Buttler in his role as mentor for IPL outfit Rajasthan Royals, and is convinced the Lancashire keeper has credible Test leadership skills.

“I’ve worked with Jos a bit this year, and I think he’s someone who would make an excellent captain,” said Warne, of Buttler. “I really enjoyed working with him, I’d like to think I helped him out a little bit.

“I really enjoyed his company, and talking the game of cricket with him. He would be a very, very good England captain.

“I think Joe Root is England’s best player. But he’ll be disappointed with his conversion rate when it comes to hundreds.

“He’d love to have more hundreds to be able to be spoken about in the same sentences as Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.

“I like Joe Root, he has a good manner about himself. He’s a gentleman.

“Maybe England could think about their best player having the shackles off, not having the responsibility of captaincy, and give it to someone like Jos.

“Jos could play with his freedom and captain the side, and Joe could just concentrate on his cricket.”