Yorkshire CCC will help to prepare county’s England pair

YORKSHIRE are ready to answer England’s SOS by helping Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow prepare for Test action.

Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, has contacted the club to ask whether Yorkshire will help with one-on-one training.

England’s Test bowlers are to return to training on Wednesday at venues to be announced ahead of a planned behind-closed-doors Test series against the West Indies in early July.

Batsmen and wicketkeepers such as Root and Bairstow will start their preparations a fortnight later after Giles unveiled plans for around 30 players (some centrally contracted, some effectively net bowlers) to undergo individual training in line with government guidance.

The ECB will request that a number of county coaches, such as Yorkshire first-team coach Andrew Gale, who is currently on furlough, help with the one-to-one sessions, and the ECB will fund this cost.

Players will train on a staggered basis while observing strict social distancing, hygiene and temperature testing protocols. Players and support staff will also arrive in training kit ready to practice, and dressing rooms and other facilities will be closed. It is hoped that England’s women players will resume training in late June.

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