Stepping up: Is Andrew Gale set to replace Jason Gillespie at Yorkshire?

YORKSHIRE will announce their new first-team coach today, with club captain Andrew Gale among the front-runners.
FROM ME TO YOU: Yorkshire's Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie celebrate after winning the championship back in 2014. Gale could be about to replace Gillespie as first-team coach. Picture Jonathan Gawthorpe.FROM ME TO YOU: Yorkshire's Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie celebrate after winning the championship back in 2014. Gale could be about to replace Gillespie as first-team coach. Picture Jonathan Gawthorpe.
FROM ME TO YOU: Yorkshire's Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie celebrate after winning the championship back in 2014. Gale could be about to replace Gillespie as first-team coach. Picture Jonathan Gawthorpe.

Gale is in contention to replace Australian Jason Gillespie, who left at the end of last season after five years in charge.

Yorkshire failed in their efforts to land their first-choice target, Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, while it is understood that they were also interested in their former player Richard Dawson, the Gloucestershire coach.

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But it has not proved straightforward to replace Gillespie, who led the club to two County Championship titles and also to a second and third-placed finish.

Gale, 32, stated in August that the opportunity to take over from Gillespie would be too soon for him, and that although he wanted to become a coach at some point, he first of all wanted to learn his trade.

However, he ended the season by casting doubt on whether he wanted to continue as captain after averaging 21 in first-class cricket, meaning that the time could now be right for him to explore different options.

If appointed, it remains to be seen whether Gale would continue as Yorkshire’s Championship captain or, indeed, as a player.

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After Farbrace spurned their advances, Yorkshire advertised the job internationally and received around 20 applicants.

LEADING FRON THE FRONT: Could Andrew Gale be set to continue leading Yorkshire, but from the balcony instead of the pitch? Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.comLEADING FRON THE FRONT: Could Andrew Gale be set to continue leading Yorkshire, but from the balcony instead of the pitch? Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
LEADING FRON THE FRONT: Could Andrew Gale be set to continue leading Yorkshire, but from the balcony instead of the pitch? Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com

Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, declined to comment on the identity of the new coach prior to telling the players at a meeting at Headingley today.

However, he said that he was satisfied the club have got the right man. “I think the appointment we’re making is 100 per cent right for the club,” said Moxon.

“It’s the right appointment for both the short-term and the long-term.”

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Moxon summed up the task of the new coach as follows: “There are two main aspects – managing the current crop of senior players, and then overseeing the transition to when those senior players retire and making sure we’ve got good continuity.”

Moxon continued: “It’s been a challenging decision, and we’ve certainly given it a lot of thought.

“We had a number of really good candidates, with varying degrees of experience.”

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