Moxon hits out as Yorkshire lose captain Gale to the Lions

YORKSHIRE'S Martyn Moxon is urging cricket chiefs to create a separate window for England Lions games.

Moxon is frustrated Andrew Gale's latest call-up will rule him out of yet more county matches.

Yorkshire captain Gale was yesterday named in a 12-man Lions squad to face India A and the West Indies A in a one-day competition from June 28-July 8.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He will miss the next two County Championship fixtures against Lancashire and Warwickshire plus at least two Twenty20 matches.

Moxon believes the England and Wales Cricket Board must strike a better balance between county interests and player development.

"I'm not happy about losing players for Lions games and it's something myself and my fellow county coaches believe the ECB have got to address," said Yorkshire's director of professional cricket.

"I've made my views known to people like Geoff Miller (England's national selector) and Andy Flower (England's team director) and it's a universal concern among the counties.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I can see absolute value in Lions games because they help prepare players for international cricket. But, from a county point of view, it's far from ideal.

"As coaches, we're under constant pressure to get results, to win Championships, to qualify for Twenty20 finals day, etc, and it makes the job difficult when you lose your best players.

"If county cricket was purely a development tool it would be

a different kettle of fish, but it isn't.

"In my opinion, Lions games should be played when there's no county cricket.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Unfortunately, there's no chance of that at the moment because there aren't any gaps in the schedule.

"I think we need to incorporate this aim into a wider view of the domestic structure.

"With the full England team it's a different matter, because players have been taken out of county cricket to play for England for as long as I've been involved in the game, but I think there should be a separate window for Lions matches."

Jacques Rudolph will lead Yorkshire in Gale's absence, although Rudolph is a doubt for today's Twenty20 game against Worcestershire at Headingley Carnegie (5.30pm start) with a shoulder injury.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Fitness permitting, Rudolph could play Lancashire League cricket at the weekend in an attempt to better prepare for Monday's Championship Roses match.

"Jacques expressed an interest to me about trying to get a longer innings under his belt before the Championship resumes on Monday," said Moxon.

"In Yorkshire, it's too late for him to register for anybody, so the obvious place would be the Lancashire League, where he could play as a pro over there without registration issues.

"It's a possibility if he's fit, but we'll have to see how he goes."

Adam Lyth is on standby to replace Rudolph this evening.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yorkshire squad (v Worcestershire): Gale (capt), Rudolph, Gibbs, McGrath, Brophy, Rashid, Pyrah, Best, Rafiq, Patterson, Lyth, Sanderson, Sayers.

England Lions squad: Cook (capt), Bopara, Davies, Gale, Mahmood, Plunkett, Stevens, Taylor, Tredwell, Trego, Trott, Woakes.

Fixtures

(17.30 unless stated)

First one-day international, The Rose Bowl: England v Australia (2.30).

Friends Provident T20, North Division, Old Trafford: Lancashire v Durham; Trent Bridge: Notts v Northants (18.00); Headingley: Yorkshire v Worcestershire.

South Division, The Oval: Surrey v Hampshire.

Asia Cup, Dambulla: Sri Lanka v India (10.00).