Climate right for White Rose to bloom

In view of England's miserable winter, an Ashes thumping followed by what looks an increasingly forlorn World Cup campaign, the attention of those who support England first and their county second has begun to turn towards the start of the county season, with the first round of Championship matches beginning on Wednesday. Not least for those who follow my own preferred county Yorkshire. For White Rose fans over the last five years, the 2001 Championship has seemed but a distant memory, with many senior players deserting the ranks and being replaced by distinctly inferior talent. After another dismal season in 2006, salvaged only by the emergence of Adil Rashid and the triumphant farewell of Darren Lehmann, the trend looked set to continue. By October, both Lehmann and Michael Lumb had left the club, with Anthony McGrath set to follow them out of the exit door. Effectively they had lost the entire middle order. To compound matters, the man who had been lined up to both fill one of those holes and to take over the running of the first XI, Chris Adams, took one look and hot-footed it straight back to Sussex, who were more than happy to welcome him back. The only ray of light was the signing of Younus Khan; yet even that did not run smoothly, with Younus announcing himself as captain, while Yorkshire insisted they wanted someone who could be there from the beginning of the season. A side that had only just maintained its first division status in 2006 was left without a captain, coach, and its two most important batsmen.

Remarkably, when Yorkshire take to the field against Surrey on Wednesday, they will be almost indisputably stronger than last season. Jacques Rudolph was a major coup, and although there are misgivings about his contract and indeed his motives in agreeing to sacrifice international cricket, he is a far superior player to the man he replaces, Michael Lumb. After Jason Gillespie was confirmed for a second season, the general consensus was that the club had signed all the players it wanted, with the emphasis turning to finding a new coach and captain.

The only rumbling was about Darren Gough, yet to sign the contract Essex had offered him. Gough certainly made noises about Yorkshire, but to take seriously a man who was still convinced he could lead England's attack in the Caribbean, was a bit much to ask. So it was a major surprise when everything fell into place, and the club lured him back. The influence of his signing did not stop merely when the ink had dried on his two year contract; it answered the captaincy question, as well as bringing back into the fold both Martyn Moxon, as coach, and Anthony McGrath, reconciled and mollified by the presence of those he knows and trusts.

The change has been so sweeping that it is hard to gauge quite where Yorkshire stand. Their team to face Surrey will contain 8 internationals and there is a reassuring feeling to the whole team, with class performers in all areas. Much will depend on the starts they get at the top of the order, with the man to partner Craig White as yet undecided. Joe Sayers is likely to be selected, although Matthew Wood has a chance, and could be galvanised by the return of the coach under whose charge he did well enough to be an international prospect around the turn of the century.

There is also a decision to be made in the middle order, and they have to decide whether they want to play Adil Rashid in April, or jettison his leg spin in favour of an extra batsman, probably Andrew Gale. With Hoggard available early season, in addition to Gough, Gillespie and Bresnan, Yorkshire may decide that 4 pacemen will be enough to do the job on helpful early season pitches. Nevertheless, it is very much in the balance, and the decision may come down to how they read the Oval Pitch. The final dilemma is over who should keep wicket, a perennial bugbear since Richard Blakey's retirement. Both Guy and Brophy have shown good form in the pre-season, and either could get the nod, although the smart money is on the latter.

Yorkshire certainly have the talent and experience to challenge for the championship. That would, of course, be the best case scenario, with everything gelling perfectly under the management of Gough and Moxon. Even so, as party-pooping as it may sound before the season has even begun, it is worth sounding a note of caution: Khan and Rudolph have limited experience of English conditions, while the ageing pace attack could suffer if Gough cannot last the course and Gillespie repeats a disappointing debut season. Much expectation is also being heaped on Adil Rashid, and it is hard to banish the thought that producing a successful second season may be beyond him. Who knows? Gough could be the dream ticket or a recipe for disaster. Whichever it is, it will not happen quietly, and the result could be a season historic even in the rich heritage of a great club like Yorkshire.