Warwickshire emerge as favourites to land Gough
Warwickshire have emerged as the favourites to sign Darren Gough following his announcement that he is leaving Yorkshire
Wisden Cricinfo staff
22-Jan-2004
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Darren Gough: where to now? Getty Images |
One of the main reasons for leaving cited by Gough was a desire to do less commuting from his home in Milton Keynes. The journey to Edgbaston is fairly short, and it seems that he has been chatting to Warwickshire officials since he first told Yorkshire he was moving on back in November.
"Are we interested in signing him? Categorically, yes," Nick Knight, Warwickshire's captain, said. "He fits the bill for us perfectly. We've a young, inexperienced attack and he is a natural leader. He's got the leadership and experience we need. He might not be able to bowl 95 mph all day, but he's older and shrewder, and no one can question his motivation and desire to win things."
One major obstacle remains - money. Gough will not come cheap, but his poor fitness record of late means that he is unlikely to be offered a big salary, but rather a pay-as-you-play contract. In his last three seasons with Yorkshire he played in only 10 championship matches and his 19 county wickets last summer cost 34.30 runs each.
Signing him would be a gamble, but he is a good box-office draw, and other counties are still hoping to tempt him to join them.
"Who knows if we have the funds available," admitted Knight. "We have to act fast - but I think that if we signed him, we wouldn't need another overseas player."