Opportunity knocks for young bowlers
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Revolving door
In come the proven Australian
Test players Darren Lehmann and
Jason Gillespie, plus the keeper
Gerard Brophy from Northants.
Out go Phil Jaques, Ian Harvey and
Chris Silverwood.
Winter wonderland
Home, sweet home! Thanks to a
£9m loan from Leeds City Council,
Yorkshire finally clinched the
£12m purchase of Headingley,
guaranteeing Test status for the
next 15 years.
Strengths
The batting. Expect Lehmann to
score heavily on his return, with
support from Matthew Wood,
the emerging Joe Sayers, a strong
middle order and Brophy, a man
with five first-class hundreds
to his name. And then there
is Michael Vaughan, who will
presumably require match
practice before rejoining England.
Weaknesses
The pace trio of Gillespie, Deon
Kruis and Tim Bresnan cannot
be expected to perform week
in, week out in all competitions.
England will be the priority for
Matthew Hoggard and, of the backup
bowlers, only John Blain has
played much first-team cricket.
Opportunity knocks for the young
ones ... but Yorkshire may yet rue
the decision to release Silverwood.
Best-case scenario
If key players stay fit, there is
enough all-round quality to
surprise one or two people in the
Championship and they can only
improve on 2005 in Twenty20
and the one-day league. The
simmering frustration over last
year's C&G semi-final fiasco at The
Rose Bowl could be the catalyst for
another strong showing.
Worst-case scenario
One Championship since 1968
and a single knockout trophy
since 1987 say it all. The perennial
underachievers blow it again.
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Young one to watch
Tim Bresnan. Silverwood's injury
problems opened the door for
the 21-year-old last year and he
responded with 47 Championship
wickets. Relishes hard work - and
he can bat a bit, too.
Key man
Jason Gillespie. Has a big point to
prove after the Ashes campaign.
An outstanding season back home
in South Australia indicates that
the motivation is still there.
What they say
"We won't be sitting around
gathering dust in Division One,"
says the director of cricket David
Byas. "People will look at our
squad and think we are capable of
making a real challenge. If our big
players stay fit we are as good as
anyone."
Mark Wagh
Tough times for this proud
county may well continue
this year. A need for top-order runs
is paramount if they are to mount
any serious challenge and give the
likes of Kruis a chance to win games.
Gillespie and Lehmann will need
to be consistently spectacular if
Yorkshire are to avoid returning to
Division Two.
Predictions County Championship 9th (D1) Pro40 6th (D2)
Odds 17/2. Click here for full odds and to place your bet.