Rudolph could miss Roses battle

The club have been trying for over a week to get a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from Cricket South Africa after re-signing the batsman until the end of the season.

All overseas players need a NOC from their home governing body to enable them to play cricket in England.

But at close of business last night, Yorkshire had still not received the necessary formalities that would enable Rudolph to be registered with the England and Wales Cricket Board and thus take his place in the game against Lancashire at Headingley Carnegie – Yorkshire’s 3,000th in the Championship.

Rudolph is due to arrive in England this morning after volunteering to help Yorkshire’s battle to avoid relegation.

The club are third-bottom of Division One – just one place and 13 points above the relegation zone.

The return of Rudolph, Yorkshire’s leading run-scorer for the past four seasons, is perceived as vital to their survival chances.

But the 30-year-old may be forced to watch from the sidelines on this occasion unless Cricket South Africa give Yorkshire the green light for him to play against second-placed Lancashire.

Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon said: “Jacques is due to arrive in England on Tuesday morning.

“He was all set to collect his work permit before jumping on the plane.

“However, we haven’t yet had the NOC from South Africa, which we’ve been chasing for over a week now.

“Until we get that, Jacques can’t be registered.

“So, although he might be in the country, we might not be able to register him in time to play against Lancashire.”

Moxon said the situation was out of Yorkshire’s control and they had no choice but to play a waiting game.

It can be notoriously difficult to register overseas players these days, with clubs having to jump through more hoops than circus animals.

“We’re basically in the hands of Cricket South Africa,” added Moxon.

“It’s still up in the air at the moment and there’s nothing we can do about it but cross our fingers that the necessary paperwork will come through and that Jacques will be able to play as planned.

“The host nation always has to provide a No Objection Certificate because, without that, the ECB won’t grant a registration. It’s just getting the paperwork through that’s been the problem, but we’re hopeful the situation will be resolved soon.”

Moxon has been in regular contact with Rudolph after the player signed what is believed to be a cut-price deal.

Yorkshire initially said they would not sign any overseas players this year due to debts in the region of £18m.

But their precarious position near the foot of the Championship has persuaded them to accept Rudolph’s offer that he would be willing to try to help them out of a hole.

The player was said to have been feeling bored doing nothing back home and is eager to help Yorkshire climb up the table.

“Jacques is very excited about coming back to Yorkshire,” added Moxon.

“He is desperate to play on Wednesday and to get some runs on the board as soon as possible.

“He’s coming back to the club in good form – he’s done well on the recent South Africa A tour and has got some decent scores under his belt.

“Hopefully, he can help us finish the season strongly.”

Moxon confirmed Rudolph will open the batting as Yorkshire seek to summon the substantial totals that have eluded them since his departure.

Rudolph scored 1,375 Championship runs last summer as Yorkshire confounded most expectations to finish third in the table – Andrew Gale’s men coming within a hair’s breadth of winning Yorkshire’s first title since 2001.

Rudolph also made 861 runs in the CB40 tournament as Yorkshire progressed to the semi-finals.

Rudolph left Yorkshire at the end of last season because he and his wife Elna were missing their family and friends back in South Africa.

The player was also keen to resurrect his international career after he played the last of his 35 Tests and 45 one-day internationals in 2006.

Rudolph has indicated he would like to return to Yorkshire in the future after this latest contract expires.

He has proved himself immensely popular during his time with the club and will slot back seamlessly into the Yorkshire dressing room.