Yorkshire players have not been bombed out, says Jack Brooks

JACK BROOKS says that Yorkshire do not have a divine right to be successful as he prepares to play his last home game for the club.
Jack Brooks: Determined to keep Yorkshire up.Jack Brooks: Determined to keep Yorkshire up.
Jack Brooks: Determined to keep Yorkshire up.

The pace bowler makes his final appearance at Emerald Headingley tomorrow when Yorkshire face Hampshire in the County Championship.

The 34-year-old then bows out in Yorkshire colours in the final match of the season against Worcestershire at New Road before taking up a three-year deal at Somerset.

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As Yorkshire continue their battle to avoid relegation, with the club requiring a maximum of 18 points to guarantee survival, Brooks said that people need to be realistic about where the side are at present as they undergo a period of transition.

“We don’t have a divine right to win every game just because we’re Yorkshire,” he said.

“Even when we had that quality period when Dizzy (former coach Jason Gillespie) was here and we had that unbelievable team, we were still not winning every game.

“There’s been quite a lot of criticism flying around this year, and I just hope that, going forward, those people who are getting on people’s backs realise that, at the end of the day, it’s professional sport, and you’re not going to have everything go your way.

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“Yes, the club should be in Division One, and we’re doing our best to make sure that we stay up, but, at times, you’re going to be going through rebuilding and transition and not always going to be the best team, so it’s about backing and enjoying who you have got.”

Brooks will soon become the latest member of the side that won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 to have played his last match for the county.

Ryan Sidebottom has retired, Liam Plunkett has gone to Surrey, Alex Lees has departed for Durham, and the club are trying to create a new era.

People seem to think that players have been bombed out this year, but that’s not the case,” added Brooks.

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“Liam’s was more of a business decision, Hoddy’s (Andrew Hodd’s) retired, Leesy just needed a fresh start, and my situation is slightly different as well.

“Good teams break up at the end of the day. It’s sad to see it happen, but the Yorkshire players are as close-knit as ever and Galey (first-team coach Andrew Gale) only wants the best for the club and is a new coach learning on the job.”

As Yorkshire prepare for a crunch double-header that will determine their fate, following a vital Roses victory at Headingley last week, Brooks asserted: “The simple fact is that other teams have been better than us at times this year, and we’re still trying to find our consistent team and a consistent method.

“It’s been frustrating, because at times we haven’t been getting the results that we should have been getting, and at times we’ve competed, but not for a whole game.

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“In the last few weeks we’ve started to click a little bit more and the win against Lancashire was massive and a true test of character.

“We were rubbish for the first day, but we still ended up bossing the game, and, hopefully, that puts to bed how people have been talking about us and we can make sure we stay in Division One.”