And he is confident that he can achieve success with a team of largely home-grown players and with South African batsman Jacques Rudolph as his vice-captain.

McGrath led Yorkshire in 2003, but international commitments brought about his resignation and the county could only finish fourth in the County Championship Second Division and were relegated in the National League.

He is optimistic that his second stint in charge – Joseph Rowbotham did the job in 1873 and 1875 – will be more fruitful, having confessed to being "a little wet behind the ears" first time around.

Speaking at Headingley Carnegie yesterday after the board unanimously agreed to director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon's recommendation that he take over from the retiring Darren Gough with Rudolph as his No 2, McGrath said:

"At the end of 2003, I said I would love to have another go and when Darren said he was going to retire I made no secret of the fact that I wanted to do it again.

"It came down to the board and when they contacted me about it I jumped at the chance. It's a massive honour. It's a role which I'm really looking forward to, having briefly done it before.

"It's a massive role within the traditions of the club. I realise the responsibility I have on the field and as a role model off it.

"At the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003, the club was going through a difficult time financially and there were a lot of uncertainties around. I found myself as captain but, with my international commitments at the time, I had to stand down because I think it is important to have your captain here all the time.

"I think there is a more optimistic future ahead now than when I took over last time. In the last two years under Darren Gough and Martyn Moxon we have grown as a side and brought on a lot of youngsters, although we have not won anything in terms of silverware.

"We were fairly close last year, reaching the semi-finals of the Friends Provident, the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 and we led the Championship for parts of the season so I think Darren has left us in a great position. I just hope I can carry on the work he has put in over the last two years."

Bradford-born McGrath, 33, who made his county debut in 1995 and was awarded his cap four years later, does not believe his benefit year commitments will interfere with the captaincy.

"It's a great honour to be awarded a benefit and it is just a matter of organising my time correctly. It's a massive season next year in terms of cricket, but if I am organised, my benefit should not get in the way."

He is delighted with the crop of home-grown players coming through and says: "The last part of the season we started playing more of the younger guys – Adam Lyth, David Wainwright, Adil Rashid, Oliver Hammond-Dalby and Ben Sanderson all made appearances. At certain times there were eight or nine Yorkshire guys under 24 in the side and I think that's fantastic news for the club.

"It will stand us in great stead and we will be looking to play more of these guys next year. I think the members and supporters want to see local-grown talent and I think it showed – especially in the last game at Sussex when the younger guys dug us out of a hole in a tough situation with some fantastic performances – that they deserve their chance."

One player he does not want to play alongside, for the best of reasons, is Michael Vaughan.

"I think we all hope Michael Vaughan gets back and plays in the Ashes, having seen what he could do last time in 2005," said McGrath of the former England Test captain. "But if Michael Vaughan is available for Yorkshire, we would love to have him because he is a fantastic batsman. Though he might have had his problems this season, it won't be long before he is back scoring runs consistently."

McGrath also has his sights on topping 1,000 first-class runs next summer after recording just 728 in the Championship this time. "I realise that one of my most powerful tools as captain is scoring runs and leading by example.

"I was disappointed with my return in four-day cricket last season and it is something I will be working on in the winter especially hard to try to make sure that I do get that weight of runs to help the team out, and and from a personal point of view as well."


Second terms of office

Anthony McGrath is only the second Yorkshire player to be appointed captain of the county on two occasions.

The only other player was Joseph Rowbotham.

In a 15-year career for the county spanning 1861-1876, Rowbotham took charge in 1873 aged 42 and again in 1875 after Luke Greenwood had led the county for a season.

Sheffield-born Rowbotham played in 94 matches, scoring 2,624 runs in 162 innings at an average of 17.15. He played for the MCC in 1856, All England from 1862-1868 and England in 1864. He was an occasional wicketkeeper, claiming 70 catches and five stumpings and umpired one Test, the 1884 game at Old Trafford between England and Australia.