Yorkshire CCC players need proper build-up for season, says Martyn Moxon

The club’s director of cricket said that it was necessary to avoid injuries to bowlers in particular and that the game has a duty of care to its players.

His comments follow those of Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson, who previously warned that all sports should not succumb to “a mad rush to get everybody out there” when the green light is given.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is due to provide clarity later this week on a revised schedule set to be more tightly packed than a tin of sardines.

Asked how much warm-up/preparation time players will need, Moxon told The Yorkshire Post: “I think it depends on the cricket we play initially.

“If it’s Championship cricket then we probably need three-to-four weeks to get the bowlers’ workloads up.

“That’s the biggest problem.

“But it depends when we get the chance to start training again.

“Will we be allowed small groups initially?

“We might have to train in small groups to start with, and then gradually build up over the weeks.

“I’m not sure how much preparation time we will be allowed but, in my opinion, it needs to be three-to-four weeks to get the bowlers up to speed.”

Moxon believes it is unrealistic to expect bowlers to go from lockdown to full tilt in a matter of days, even more so as players have been denied access to their usual training facilities.

Patterson and his troops have been training at home since the crisis led to the closure of gyms across the country and have kept themselves in shape as best they can with whatever fitness equipment they have to hand.

Technically, neither Moxon nor head coach Andrew Gale can force the players to train as the club has furloughed its entire playing staff, along with most of its non-playing staff – Gale included.

However, Moxon said that he did not have to ask the players to keep on top of their fitness – they told him that they were going to do it off their own backs – and he is anxious for their welfare when the action resumes.

“To avoid injuries, you can’t ask a bowler to go from bowling nothing since, probably, March 11 to asking them to bowl 20-25 overs in a day without any build-up to it,” he added.

“That would be ridiculous.

“You’ve got to give them some time to build up for that.

“In T20 cricket, of course, it’s a bit different because a bowler can only bowl four overs in that format of the game.

“You wouldn’t need as much preparation time in that respect.

“As I say, it all depends on what type of cricket we’re due to play.

“Until the shackles are released, as it were, it’s hard to say.”

Moxon believes the ECB will take full account of player workloads as they finalise plans for a redrawn schedule.

That is likely to prioritise the T20 Blast, the main revenue-generator for the counties, which could be pushed back to the end of the season to maximise the chances of attracting a crowd, with the season likely to begin behind closed doors.

“Workloads will be taken into account when the ECB put a fixture list together,” said Moxon.

“There is clearly likely to be a lot of cricket played which, from our point of view and the supporters’ point of view, is a good thing as we’ve got 30-odd players who will want to be playing and supporters who are desperate to watch some cricket.

“I’m not sure what the second XI programme will look like yet; that’s another unknown.

“What I do know is that we’ll be trying to maximise the number of games that we play as a club, and we could even organise extra games if necessary to ensure that there is enough cricket to go round the full squad.

“We certainly want to try and play as much cricket as we can, while at the same time being fully mindful of players’ workloads and individual needs, because we also have to make decisions on some players’ futures.

“Some are coming towards the end of their contracts, so we want them to be playing cricket to help us make informed decisions.”

One of those in the final year of his contract is Patterson, the 36-year-old pace bowler who wants to continue playing in 2021.

The double Championship-winner remains an important part of Yorkshire’s plans, with his skill and experience complementing the exciting talent coming up through the ranks.

Like Moxon, the former Yorkshire and England opening batsman, Patterson is also a splendid ambassador for the club, as evidenced by a letter that he has written to the Yorkshire members.

“Firstly I hope this finds you safe and well,” he writes. “Obviously we are going through a very strange time, and I thought I would take the opportunity to get in touch and say hello.”

Patterson goes on to praise NHS workers and says: “The challenges we face as cricketers pale into insignificance compared to the difficulties faced by so many.”

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