Attitude will be key, says Moxon, if Yorkshire are to step up again

Chris Waters: Can Yorkshire improve on last year’s third-placed finish in the Championship and semi-final appearance in the CB40?

Martyn Moxon: I think we can, but we have to remember the Championship is a tough league and that there are a lot of group games in the CB40, which means you can’t afford to let your form drop. What I’m really looking for this year is for the boys to reproduce the attitude, focus and mindset they had last year. If they do that, we should be okay.

CW: Due to financial constraints, Yorkshire are one of the few counties who haven’t signed an overseas player. Does that put you at a significant disadvantage?

MM: I don’t think so. We’ve brought Ryan Sidebottom back to the club as a kind of overseas player if you like, and we want to give our young players a chance going forward. We need to keep challenging them to see whether they’re good enough because we’re trying to build for the long term. The majority of our players have signed contract extensions, so we’ve invested in that rather than in an overseas player. At the end of the day, there’s only so much money around.

CW: Were you right to effectively replace Jacques Rudolph, your best batsman, with a bowler in Ryan Sidebottom?

MM: I’m comfortable with the decision because we don’t know how much we’re going to see of our England bowlers Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad. So much so, we’ve got to almost plan without them. So although we’ve lost a batsman in Jacques, we could also potentially lose two bowlers in Bresnan and Shahzad. On top of that, we’ve got young batsmen like Joe Root and Gary Ballance in the wings and the time has come for us to test them out at first-team level.

CW: Are you at all concerned about the batting strength?

MM: Obviously it’s not ideal to have lost a player of Jacques’s stature, but, as I say, in the likes of Root and Ballance, we’ve got young batsmen of great talent coming through in addition to a number of talented young batsmen anyway.

CW: This will be your fifth season in charge since you returned to Yorkshire. Are you satisfied with the progress being made?

MM: We’re definitely on the right track. I’m really excited about the future because I think we’ve got a very determined, committed group of players who want to do well and ultimately be the best in the country. That’s definitely the aim. In addition, if you take McGrath, Sidebottom and Brophy out of the equation, the team are all in their 20s or late teens and capable of playing together for many years. I want to build a team good enough to keep winning season after season.

CW: Having defied many people’s expectations last year, will there be more pressure on Yorkshire to perform?

MM: I think there will be more expectation rather than more pressure. As a group, we have to recognise that fact but not get affected by it. We have to stick to what we do on a daily basis and let the rest look after itself.

CW: Do you anticipate a tougher season?

MM: Most definitely. As usual, we’ll go into the season with the aim of winning all three competitions, but let’s not get carried away by saying we’re going to win this or we’re going to win that. We just need to focus on the day-to-day things, not get too far ahead of ourselves and try to improve.

CW: You have two batsmen/wicketkeepers in Jonathan Bairstow and Gerard Brophy. Who is going to get the gloves – and is there a place for both in the same side?

MM: The initial plan is for Bairstow to start with the gloves in the Championship. Brophy has been practising both his keeping and his fielding, so we’ve got the option of him keeping wicket and also of him playing as a specialist batsman. It basically comes down to who’s performing. The only way Bairstow is going to get better behind the stumps is by keeping in games, but we’ll see how things go.

CW: Yorkshire have never reached a Twenty20 finals day. Isn’t it about time you put that right?

MM: It certainly is. It’s been an elusive target so far, unfortunately, but it’s something we’re determined to achieve this summer. As with the CB40, however, there are so many group games that consistency of performance is absolutely vital if you’re going to reach the knockout stages. After that, anything can happen.

CW: Although money is tight at the club, are there any thoughts of signing an overseas player for Twenty20?

MM: None whatsoever. We haven’t got the financial capability to do it even if we wanted. It’s simply not an option.

CW: Joe Sayers has had a tough time with illness. How is he shaping up for the new campaign?

MM: He’s doing very well and, touch wood, should be fine. He’s done everything he’s been asked to do and his experience could be invaluable this year. He can also challenge strongly for a one-day place. He hasn’t played much one-day cricket in the past, but he’s very keen to do that and the opportunity is there.

CW: Are you a bit top heavy on seam bowlers?

MM: I’ve always been of the belief that you need eight available for first team cricket to cover all eventualities – injuries, England call-ups, etc. So although when everyone’s available people might think we’ve got too many, that situation can soon change and you need cover. I’m very comfortable with the numbers we’ve got.

CW: Moin Ashraf made a big impact at the end of last season. Can Yorkshire’s supporters expect to see more of him this year?

MM: Definitely, but it’s up to him to perform. He did very well at the back end of last summer after earning the right to play with his performances in the second XI and we’re hoping for more of the same this time.

CW: David Wainwright, the left-arm spinner, had a disappointing time last season. How is he shaping up?

MM: We’ve gone back to basics with him. We’ve looked at footage of him bowling and worked on a few technical things. I have to say he looks in really good order and back to his normal bubbly self. He’s not weighed down with doubt and confusion, which I think was one of the problems last year.

CW: Adil Rashid, your first-choice spinner, had another splendid campaign. How close is he to regaining his England place?

MM: Only time will tell. In the second half of last season he bowled well both in four-day and one-day cricket, so I don’t think he can be too far away. He’s doing his best to knock on the door.

CW: How would you assess Andrew Gale’s progress as captain?

MM: I thought he had an outstanding first season. He took to the job like a duck to water and led from the front. He was very clear in his message and very positive in the way he went about everything.

He spoke well to the team and he also played well under pressure. His hundred at Trent Bridge was a really fantastic innings.

CW: How do you assess the current standard of county cricket?

MM: I can only judge what I see, which is the First Division, and I think it’s very competitive. You’ve got to play well to win any four-day game. If you have a bad day or a bad session, even, you have to fight really hard not to lose. I can’t comment on the Second Division because I haven’t seen that for a number of years.

CW: Much was made going into last season of the need to create more result pitches at Headingley. Are you happier with them now?

MM: Andy Fogarty, the groundsman, is working really hard to try to get a bit more pace and carry for the seamers in four-day games. Generally the one-day pitches are good, but in four-day cricket we could still do with

evening it up a bit more between bat and ball.

CW: Who will be Yorkshire’s vice-captain this summer?

MM: We’re not going to name one. If Andrew Gale is away for any reason, we will deal with the situation when it arises. We’re not going to have an official vice-captain as such.

CW: Apart from Yorkshire, who should we look out for in this season’s Championship?

MM: I think Hampshire might be a dark horse. I like Briggs as a spinner and they’ve got Tahir as well. They’ve also got some decent seamers.

I don’t know how fit Simon Jones is, but if he can get back to anything like full fitness he’ll be dangerous. They’ve also got some very good batsmen. I think they might be a force to be reckoned with.