Gareth Cross made the transition from second-team wicketkeeper to the first-team role when Warren Hegg was injured towards the end of the 2005 season. He immediately showed promise with tidy glovework and it wasn't long before his sparky batting was also on show. But Lancashire did not feel he was ready for full-time promotion and instead brought in Luke Sutton to fill the number one spot.

Cross struggled to hide his frustration at a lack of opportunity, especially in the four-day team, but was often preferred to Sutton in one-day cricket where his hard-hitting batting found him a place in the top order. Rumours persisted that he was considering a move elsewhere, but in 2010 he was picked for the four-day side as a batsman when injuries gave rise to an opportunity and it was in that role that he completed his maiden first-class hundred against Hampshire. When Sutton left at the end of the 2010 season, Cross committed his future to Lancashire.

In 2011, he missed only one match and his 557 Championship runs included a career-best 125 against Sussex at Hove. He was disappointed with his return as a batsman but his glovework earned him the Professional Cricketers' Association's Wicketkeeper of the Year title.
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