Yorkshire CCC free to use Richardson firepower but will do the right thing given injury record
YORKSHIRE have suggested that no limit has been set by Cricket Australia on the number of games that Jhye Richardson can play due to his injury history as they prepare to welcome their new overseas signing.
Richardson has had three operations on his right bowling shoulder which has several times dislocated during his career.
His most recent surgery was early last year, since when the 29-year-old fast bowler has enjoyed good form and fitness, culminating in an Ashes call-up during the winter.
Asked whether Yorkshire have been limited to the number of fixtures in which the centrally-contracted Richardson can play, with the whippy right-armer joining for the initial block of six County Championship matches in the space of seven weeks, Anthony McGrath, the Yorkshire head coach, said: “Not really, no.
“I think it’s just being sensible and making sure that we’re doing the best for Yorkshire but for him as well, so I think we’re going to sit down and make a call on that when he arrives.”
Richardson, who helped Perth Scorchers to the Big Bash title in January and has lately been playing for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, is expected at Headingley in the coming days.
It seems that there have been travel issues due to the knock-on effects of the war in Iran, with uncertainty as to whether he will be available for the first game of the season against Glamorgan in Cardiff, given the potentially tight turnaround involved and the need to manage his workload sensibly.
“I think we'll just have to see how he is,” said McGrath, regarding Richardson’s availability for the curtain-raiser in the Welsh capital.
“I think given his injury record, with the things going on in the Middle East; he's obviously been delayed with his flight.
“We want to give him a good lead into his first game when he gets here, so I think we've just got to be careful.
“I think we’re just going to have to make a call when he arrives.”
Richardson himself is bullish about his prospects of getting on the park as often as possible.
Speaking in Perth this week at an event to mark the announcement of Australia’s Test fixtures for the 2026-27 home summer, he made encouraging noises about his switch to Yorkshire.
“I think there will be some aspect of management, but I’m hoping to play most of the games there,” he said.
“That’s the plan, anyway.
“I’m heading over feeling good about my body and my bowling, so I’m really excited to head over there.
“I can’t wait to get the Dukes ball back in hand, albeit probably at about eight or nine degrees (temperature-wise).”
Richardson is seen by Yorkshire as the proverbial point of difference, a man who can consistently operate in the 140kph region (the upper 80s mph).
The club has been in close communication with Andrew McDonald, the Australia head coach, with Richardson set to form a key part of Australia’s red-ball plans going forward, fitness permitting, having played in the recent Boxing Day Test against England - just his fourth Test since making his debut more than seven years ago.
“Mags (McGrath) has been speaking to McDonald on a regular basis,” added Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket.
“The clear thing from that communication is that he (Richardson) is coming here to develop, and we’re going to make sure that development is beneficial for Yorkshire as well.
“As long as Cricket Australia feel like it’s beneficial and that we’re going to do the right things, and they trust Micky (Mick Lewis, the Yorkshire bowling coach) and Mags, then it’s quite a straightforward conversation.
“From the conversations we’ve had, certainly Mags has had, I think it’s very clear what the expectations are.”
Yorkshire are in a strong position to take a sensible approach to Richardson’s workload given that they have a number of seamers competing for a handful of spots.
The club has also recruited Logan van Beek, the Dutch international pace bowler, for the initial block of Championship matches, and they can call on the likes of seasoned campaigners in Ben Coad, Jack White, George Hill and Matty Revis, along with Ben Cliff and a number of flourishing young prospects at the club.
“We've made it very clear that to compete in red-ball cricket you need six, seven, eight seamers,” said Hamilton.
“This is the first time, pending injury, that we’re in a position where we can actually manage all of the players for that first block of six, so it’s a nice, comfortable position to have someone like Jhye coming into that sort of set-up.
“We need him at full throttle every single game.
“If that means three games, four games, whatever number, we’ll manage it as and when we go along.”