Who are the players to watch? Who’s in the squad? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is the fixture list? Your questions answered
Coach: Andrew Gale
Captain: Steven Patterson
Overseas: Duanne Olivier (South Africa)
Ins: Dom Bess (Somerset), Ben Birkhead, George Hill, Dominic Leech, Tom Loten, Josh Sullivan, James Wharton, Matthew Revis, Harry Duke (all youth)
Outs: Jared Warner (Gloucestershire), James Logan (released), Ed Barnes (Leicestershire)
Fixture list: April 8 – Glamorgan (h), April 15 – Kent (a), April 22 – Sussex (a), April 29 – Northamptonshire (h), May 6 – Kent (h), May 13 – Glamorgan (a), May 27 – Lancashire (a), June 3 – Sussex (h), July 4 - Northamptonshire (a), July 11- Lancashire (h)
Remind me what happened last year?
Yorkshire fell agonisingly short of qualifying for the Bob Willis Trophy final, topping the North Group but amassing three points fewer than South Group leaders Essex. And in true Yorkshire style, it was the weather which ultimately thwarted their efforts.
The 2015 champions comfortably defeated Durham and Nottinghamshire in their opening two matches of the season, picking up 40 points from a maximum of 48. Day two was washed out again Derbyshire while two days were lost to rain against Lancashire, costing Yorkshire two shots at victory and taking the shine off Dawid Malan’s double-hundred against the former.
Steve Patterson’s side bounced back in their final game of the season with a resounding 10-wicket victory over Leicestershire but while they collected 21 points to Essex’s 20, it wasn’t enough to reach the final.
Yorkshire captain Steven Patterson
What’s happened over the winter?
After positive on-field results in a difficult 2020, Yorkshire would have been hoping the off-season would follow suit. Unfortunately, even describing their winter as challenging is a gross understatement.
Leaving aside the obvious financial implications of losing 12 months of revenue from international cricket, events and conferencing, the club were blindsided by accusations of institutional racism from former player Azeem Rafiq. An inquiry into the allegations and Rafiq’s employment tribunal are ongoing and casting a dark shadow over Yorkshire heading into the 2021 season.
Who’s arrived and who’s left?
Seamers Jared Warner and Ed Barnes have left Headingley for pastures new, signing three-year deals with Gloucestershire and Leicestershire, respectively. 22-year bowler James Logan was released when his contract ended in October after failing to make an appearance in 2020.
Eight young players – Ben Birkhead, George Hill, Dominic Leech, Tom Loten, Josh Sullivan, James Wharton, Matthew Revis, and Harry Duke – have been awarded rookie contracts for 2021 and will train with the senior squad.
However, Yorkshire’s headline signing is England spinner Dom Bess. The 23-year old left Somerset in September after taking 79 wickets and scoring 757 runs in 26 first-class appearances for the county. He previously enjoyed two loans spells at Headingly in 2019 and will be hoping to establish himself as the county’s first-choice spinner.
Who will be the key men in 2021?
With the availability of Dawid Malan (IPL) and Joe Root (internationals) uncertain, Yorkshire are likely to spend much of 2021 without two of their star batsmen. However, the return of Gary Ballance is a huge boost.
The 31-year old missed the 2020 season through illness but has scored 900+ runs in each of his last three County Championship campaigns and averages 47.4 in red-ball cricket. And despite being away from the game for 12 months, Ballance showed no signs of rustiness in Yorkshire’s pre-season friendlies, scoring twin half-centuries against Middlesex and Derbyshire.
In his absence, Jordan Thompson was Yorkshire’s standout performer last season, taking a team-leading 15 wickets at an average of 16.4 and scoring 234 runs, including two half-centuries. The 24-year old seamlessly filled the shoes of Tim Bresnan and will be relied upon to do the same again this season.
One to watch
It seems almost inconceivable to be talking about Matthew Fisher as a young talent given he made his debut in 2015 but somehow the seamer is still only 23 years old.
Fisher made just two red-ball appearances for Yorkshire in the last season, playing the bulk of his cricket in the T20 Blast. However, despite only playing a cameo role, he picked up 10 wickets at an average of 18, including dismissing Derbyshire’s middle-order trio of Jack Burnham, Ned Eckersley and Paul Coughlin in nine deliveries. At his age, he’s very much still in his infancy as a seamer but will be hoping for some big performances in 2021.
A note on Ben Coad – the 27-year old took 12 wickets at an average of 7.25 in two matches last season and 37 wickets at 25.81 the season before. Another 30+ wicket campaign and his knocking on the door of the England team will be almost too loud to ignore.
What can we expect from this team this season?
Yorkshire should expect nothing less than Division One qualification from their first 10 matches and, having avoided being grouped with red-ball powerhouses Somerset and Essex, will be targeting top spot in Group Three following last season’s performances.
They haven’t won the County Championship since 2015 but have assembled a squad that once again looks capable of launching a significant assault on Essex and Somerset’s duopoly at the top of the standings. It speaks volumes about the depth of English talent in the squad that overseas pair Duanne Olivier and Mathew Pillans haven’t been mentioned until this sentence.
The success of Yorkshire’s season will ultimately hinge on their off-field issues and how they manage to insulate the squad from the negative attention. However, if the players, many of whom weren’t teammates of Rafiq, can maintain their focus, Yorkshire can be legitimate title contenders in 2021.
Subscribe today and receive The Cricketer’s centenary issue – six issues for £19.21. Click here
OTHER TEAM GUIDES
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.