Dom Bess has white-ball ambitions to fulfil with Yorkshire CCC and England

The club will today announce that Bess, the 23-year-old off-spin bowler, has signed on a four-year contract from Somerset.

Bess has made his name in first-class cricket, playing 47 games in his fledgling career, taking 129 wickets at an average of 30.

Ten of those games have been Tests, including all six this summer against West Indies and Pakistan, but he told The Yorkshire Post that red-ball is by no means the summit of his international ambitions.

“One hundred per cent – that’s a non-negotiable for me (white-ball),” said Bess. “I’m certainly trying to play all three forms for England, and I guess at the moment at Somerset I don’t feel like I’ve had the opportunity to show my white-ball skills.

“I think this is a great opportunity for me to develop my white-ball skills, and to show that I’m a three dimensional player. Hopefully I can push for England spots and, if I can, it will help me all round – including in Test and first-class cricket – to be a better batsman, bowler and fielder.”

Bess, who had two loan spells at Yorkshire last year – sowing the seeds for a permanent switch that will take effect following the end of this season and keep him at the club until October 2024 – has played just 23 white-ball fixtures.

He has actually played more white-ball games for Yorkshire than he has for Somerset – six versus four, having also turned out for various representative sides such as England Lions.

“I had a good little opportunity at Yorkshire (last year) in white-ball,” said Bess, who also played four County Championship matches for the club. “It’s very exciting where the England white-ball is at the moment; there’s some unbelievable players about.

“I’ve gone on England Lions white-ball tours and been fairly successful at times, and that gives me great confidence to show that I can do it against other aspiring international cricketers.

“I want to stamp myself in the international arena in general, and I think that a move like this – and hopefully chances to play all three forms – can only help develop my international career as well as contribute hopefully to success for Yorkshire.”

Bess, who believes that he can learn from Yorkshire’s existing spinners such as Adil Rashid, Jack Shutt and Josh Poysden, has joined in search of regular first-team cricket per se.

Opportunities have been limited at Somerset, where he is in direct competition with England left-arm spinner Jack Leach, and also with Max Waller and Roelof van der Merwe in the white-ball formats.

“If I’m playing for England and being No 1 spinner, I have to be No 1 spinner at another club,” he added. “I have to be No 1 and show that I can do it and be that senior player.

“Not taking anything away from Somerset, because I’ve obviously got into a position (international cricket) with them as a club, but in terms of kicking on now I have to be playing regular cricket; I have to be playing first-team cricket.

“Playing all six Test matches and England backing me as their spinner this summer, it shows that I’ve got to be playing regularly going forwards. I can’t then be coming back to Somerset and not playing.”

Not that it was an easy decision for Bess to make. On the contrary, as a proud West Countryman, it was “an incredibly hard one”, but he believes that Yorkshire are going places and that the club and his career are hopefully aligning on an upward curve.

“I don’t want to go half-hearted and say I didn’t take this opportunity and then, three years later, be sat in the second team (at Somerset) and not playing,” he reflected.

“I think I’d kick myself and I’m going to 100 per cent commit to this and I think it’s a great option for me to join a very strong squad and hopefully win Championships and white-ball competitions.

“It was certainly a difficult decision. I’ve grown up with all the lads at Somerset who are now my best mates, and leaving something like that is really tough.”

Bess will balance Yorkshire’s batting in the lower middle-order and Martyn Moxon, the club’s director of cricket, is delighted to get him.

“We are thrilled that Dom will be joining us on a permanent deal from next season,” said Moxon. “Dom has showed his quality and potential this year with England, and made a huge impression at Yorkshire during his loan spells last season.

“The signing of Dom will bolster our spin options, but it also gives us more batting depth down the order. Dom will be a key asset to the club across all formats, and will add further strength to the young and exciting squad that is being assembled.”

David Willey will captain Yorkshire tonight against Leicestershire at Headingley in the T20 Blast having been left out of England’s squads to face Australia in the forthcoming T20s and ODIs.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson