Overseas imports will give home-grown Yorkshire CCC talent time to develop

YORKSHIRE CCC have outlined their winter recruitment plans.
WANTED MAN: Yorkshire's Keshav Maharaj celebrates the wicket of Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke at Scarborough last month. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comWANTED MAN: Yorkshire's Keshav Maharaj celebrates the wicket of Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke at Scarborough last month. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
WANTED MAN: Yorkshire's Keshav Maharaj celebrates the wicket of Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke at Scarborough last month. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
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The club want to strengthen their batting and spin bowling for Championship cricket.

They are also considering two overseas players for T20.

Nicholas Pooran: Could be back.Nicholas Pooran: Could be back.
Nicholas Pooran: Could be back.

Director of cricket Martyn Moxon said: “There’s a couple of areas that we want to cover in Championship cricket, and we’re looking at domestic or overseas options.

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“We still feel we need competition for Championship batting, and it’s well-known that our spinners are in a development phase as far as red-ball cricket is concerned.

“We’re looking at the option of having two overseas players for the whole of T20, and what type of players we’d like to bring in.

PLANNING AHEAD: Yorkshire CCC director of cricket, Martyn Moxon. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comPLANNING AHEAD: Yorkshire CCC director of cricket, Martyn Moxon. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
PLANNING AHEAD: Yorkshire CCC director of cricket, Martyn Moxon. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

“Obviously it will come down to budgets, but we want to challenge on all fronts and cover all bases.”

Yorkshire’s need for a top-order batsman is heightened by Jack Leaning’s impending move to Kent.

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The 25-year-old is leaving at the end of the season on a three-year deal.

“We still feel we need competition for Championship batting, because without Jack we’ve got five batters and then the others are young,” said Moxon.

“They’ve had very little second-team experience so far, let alone first-team experience.

“These lads have got huge potential but are probably not ready yet for Championship cricket if we’re serious about trying to win the Championship. This is the balance we’re trying to find.”

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The balance is delicate in terms of slow bowling. Although Yorkshire are pleased with their spinners’ progress, they are conscious of the need to simultaneously strengthen their lower-order batting to avoid a long tail.

“It’s the balance between giving our spinners experience but, at the same time, winning matches,” said Moxon. “We’re working with our spinners all the time on their batting as well as their bowling.

“That’s why Keshav Maharaj has been great for us recently as an overseas player, because not only has he bowled brilliantly, but he’s got some useful runs batting at No 8. Dom Bess also filled that role for us earlier in the season.”

Yorkshire have already suggested that they may look to re-sign Maharaj next year, although his availability is unclear due to potential international commitments with South Africa and the fact that he is getting married.

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Their hopes of signing Bess permanently do not appear high, however, for not only is he still under contract at Somerset, but he may have more opportunities with them now that Jack Leach, his county team-mate, has forced his way back into the England side.

Yorkshire like to build lasting links with their overseas players, which could also see West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran return next summer. Pooran impressed during a five-match T20 spell.

“Pooran is someone we would be very keen to have back,” said Moxon. “He did a very good job during his short time with us.

“We are ambitious with what we want to achieve in T20, but we didn’t perform well enough as a squad this time, unfortunately.

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“As such, we’ll be looking as to whether we can use the two overseas players allocation next season, which we weren’t able to do this year, and the various options that are potentially available.”

After their T20 campaign ended on Friday, with Yorkshire finishing one place and two points outside the qualifying positions, the first team are without a fixture this week.

Yorkshire return to action against Somerset at Taunton next Tuesday, the first of three back-to-back Championship games with Kent visiting Emerald Headingley the following week before the final match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.