Yorkshire’s strength in depth can blow away opposition

How many people can you fit into a phone box?

Or, in this case, how many seam bowlers can you fit into Yorkshire’s starting XI?

The answer, of course, is only so many, which is why Yorkshire’s think-tank will have much contemplating to do between now and the end of the summer.

A quick shufti through the squad list shows that Yorkshire have eight frontline seamers vying for a place.

Assuming that no more than four will be selected at any one time, it means that half the cast list will play and the other half will not.

In some cases, the enforced inactivity will be welcome (Ryan Sidebottom, for example, is not going to play in every 40-over game to ensure he is fresh and firing for the County Championship); in others, it will be naturally frustrating for those overlooked.

Either way, there is no doubt that Yorkshire have options coming out of their ears and a strength in depth that others must envy.

Some Yorkshire supporters would have preferred the club had strengthened their batting during the winter, with Jack Brooks and Liam Plunkett recruited to boost the bowling but with batsman Anthony McGrath not directly replaced, but Yorkshire say their thinking is two-fold.

First, they believe they need a bank of seven or eight seam bowlers to challenge for silverware in all competitions and, second, they are adamant that their current crop of batsmen – including those hoping to step up from the second team – are good enough to post sufficiently big scores for the bowlers to work with.

In addition to Brooks and Plunkett, Yorkshire can call on Tim Bresnan when available, along with last year’s frontline attack of left-armer Sidebottom, Steve Patterson and Moin Ashraf, plus Iain Wardlaw and Rich Pyrah.

It is a combination that excites Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon.

“Although our priority is the County Championship, we want to be competitive in one-day cricket as well and you need strength in depth to challenge in all formats,” he said.

“We have earmarked people 
for the various formats of the game, which is not to say they can not be inter-changing, but there are ideas in place as to who will play when and in which competition.

“A bit of a pecking order has developed, but success can only be achieved through a big squad effort.”

If the three-day game against Leeds-Bradford MCC University was any pointer, Yorkshire’s solitary first-class warm-up before tomorrow’s Championship opener against Sussex at Headingley, the pecking order is possible to deduce.

Patterson, Brooks, Sidebottom and Plunkett were handed the pace bowling duties in the university match, for which Bresnan was unavailable as he recovers from an elbow operation.

Ashraf, Wardlaw and Pyrah may well find they have more chances in one-day cricket which, in turn, the coaching staff hope will benefit the club.

For, as those players seek to gain a place in the Championship side, the knock-on effect could well be improved one-day performances from the team all-round – particularly in the 40-over competition in which Yorkshire have flattered to deceive in recent times.

“The lads who aren’t in the Championship team will be busting a gut to get into the side, and that’s the sort of intensity we want,” added Moxon.

“The CB40, for example, has been frustrating in recent years because we’ve created opportunities to win but haven’t nailed them, and we need to be more ruthless in that form of the game.

“As ever, there are some hectic periods this year fixture-wise and that’s where the strength in depth of the squad will come in.

“It means that players can be running in day-in, day-out and being aggressive and not thinking ‘oh, crikey, I’ve got a 40-over game tomorrow’.”

Although fair to say there is less competition for places in the batting department, Moxon nevertheless believes Yorkshire’s batting holds the key to their summer.

If the club can achieve consistency with the willow, he believes taking wickets should not be a problem.

“The key to success this summer is how well we bat,” said Moxon.

“If we bat well, I believe we’ve got the resources to take 20 wickets.

“For that reason, it’s up to the lads to stand up and be counted.

“The bottom line is, if the top-five batsmen play to their capabilities, I’m confident we’ve got the bowling resources to be up there in the mix.”

Yorkshire will name a 13-man squad for the Sussex game at lunchtime today.

Alex Lees, who scored his maiden first-class century in the 294-run victory over Leeds-Bradford MCCU, is set to open the batting with Adam Lyth.

Joe Sayers is likely to make way for Phil Jaques, who missed the university fixture as his family was arriving from Australia.

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