Yorkshire CCC lay out timetable for Ben Coad's return
Ben Coad is back on a cricket field again and Yorkshire have laid out a timetable for his return.
The Yorkshire seamer has not played first-team cricket since April after injuring his side in a training session.
He has been playing for the second XI, getting some overs into his legs. Coad has turned out in friendlies, Second XI Championship games and even a couple of T20 fixtures as he steadily works himself back into contention.
After Yorkshire’s defeat in the County Championship at Leicester this week, Anthony McGrath, the club’s first-team coach, was asked whether Coad had been close to playing in that game.
“Yes,” he replied, adding that he did not want to take any chances on his fitness as he wants the 32-year-old fully firing for the One-Day Cup and the final block of six Championship games.
“Ben’s only bowled 26 overs of red ball since April 16,” McGrath explained. “He also had a bit of a hamstring this time last week, which he had a scan on and which was a separate scare, but that was fine and he’s bowling again.
“We just didn’t want to rush him, and we just wanted to make sure that he's on the park and has a substantial amount of cricket under his belt to get us through eight 50-overs and six Championship games because we're going to need our bowlers during that period.
“It's going to be tough, so we can't afford any more injuries, particularly to the bowlers.”
Yorkshire’s first One-Day Cup game is against Hampshire at Scarborough on July 21.
They return to Championship action against the same opponents at Southampton on August 20, while they do not have an overseas option, at this stage, for the back end of the campaign.
A fit and firing Coad – with 327 first-class wickets at 20.56 – would boost Yorkshire’s prospects in both competitions.