Rudolph returns after Yorkshire rethink strategy

YORKSHIRE have re-signed South African batsman Jacques Rudolph in an attempt to save their stuttering season.

Rudolph has rejoined the club as they battle to avoid County Championship relegation.

The 30-year-old left-hander – Yorkshire’s leading run-scorer for the past four years – is due to make his comeback in the Championship game against Lancashire at Headingley on July 20.

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He will then be available for all matches – a further five in the Championship and six in the CB40 – as Yorkshire look to end on a high.

Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, said he hoped the move would lift the squad and revealed Rudolph instigated his return.

“Jacques contacted us about four or five weeks ago and said he was fresh again and that he was a bit bored really,” said Moxon. “He wondered if there was a possibility that we would want to bring him back.

“Initially, we said ‘let’s see how we go’ because we wanted to give our young and our capped players as many chances as possible.

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“Obviously, things haven’t gone as well as we would have liked, and we feel that getting Jacques back is just the boost we need to hopefully stay in the First Division.”

Rudolph left Yorkshire at the end of last summer, citing family reasons for his departure. He and his wife Elna had found it increasingly hard to be away from their loved ones.

Privately, Rudolph also wanted to resurrect an international career in abeyance since 2006 – something he could not have done at Yorkshire as a Kolpak player.

Rudolph signed a sworn affidavit foregoing his right to play international cricket after joining Yorkshire in 2007, but this time he is registered as a bona fide overseas player, so his international ambitions are unaffected.

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Yorkshire’s decision to re-sign him – despite repeated insistence there was no money available for overseas players – betrays their palpable fears of Championship demotion. Yorkshire are second-bottom of Division One and have played at least one game more than their nearest rivals.

They face a crunch match at Scarborough next week against Worcestershire, who are just outside the relegation zone – one place and five points above them, with a game in hand.

The return of Rudolph, one of the most talented and popular players to wear the White Rose, gives them significant hope of getting out of trouble.

Rudolph scored 2,463 runs in all competitions last summer as Yorkshire finished third in the Championship and reached the CB40 semi-finals, confounding predictions of a modest season.

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Only Jonny Bairstow (793 Championship runs at 61.00) has come remotely close this year to emulating Rudolph’s returns.

Rudolph has recently been playing for South Africa A as he steps up his bid to add to a total of 35 Test and 45 one-day international appearances.

Moxon predicted he would slip back seamlessly into the Yorkshire fold. “Jacques is one of us,” said Moxon. “He knows the club inside out, the players respect him, the supporters like him, and I’m sure the move will work out well for all concerned.

“Runs on the board creates scoreboard pressure, which is exactly what Jacques can provide.

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“Obviously, the bowling has not been perfect either, but bringing in Jacques will, hopefully, provide more runs and give our young players some confidence as well.”

Despite losing Rudolph last year, Yorkshire effectively chose to replace him with a bowler when they signed Ryan Sidebottom, who has been one of the few successes this season. Moxon stands by the decision not to recruit a batsman.

“We wanted to give our young lads a chance,” he added. “We’ve always said that but, unfortunately, some of the young lads and some of the capped players haven’t done as well as we would have hoped. Our policy is very much to bring on and develop our own players; that still holds.

“We just feel Jacques will add that extra touch of quality, and we don’t want to find ourselves in Division Two next year.”

Rudolph’s White Rose runs record

2007

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First-class: Matches 15, Innings 22, Not Outs 3, Runs 1,078, Average 56.73, Highest Score 220, 100s 4, 50s 3. List A: M 15, Inns 14, NO 2, Runs 587, Av 48.91, HS 127, 100s 2, 50s 2

Twenty20: M 8, Inns 7, NO 4, Runs 126, Av 42.00, HS 48, 100s 0, 50s 0

2008

First-class: M 16, Inns 24, NO 1, Runs 1,292, Av 56.17, HS 155, 100s 5, 50s 6. List A: M 18, Inns 16, NO 2, Runs 675, Av 48.21, HS 120, 100s 1, 50s 5

Twenty20: M 9, Inns 8, NO 1, Runs 191, Av 27.28, HS 56, 100s 0, 50s 1

2009

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First-class: M 17, Inns 29, NO 1, Runs 1,366, Av 48.78, HS 198, 100s 4, 50s 6. List A: M 15, Inns 15, NO 1, Runs 685, Av 48.92, HS 118, 100s 1, 50s 6

Twenty20: M 10, Inns 8, NO 0, Runs 166, Av 20.75, HS 61, 100s 0, 50s 1

2010

First-class: M 16, Inns 29, NO 2, Runs 1,375, Av 50.92, HS 228*, 100s 4, 50s 6. List A: M 13, Inns 13, NO 4, Runs 861, Av 95.66, HS 124*, 100s 4, 50s 5

Twenty20: M 12, Inns 12, NO 0, Runs 227, Av 18.91, HS 53, 100s 0, 50s 1