It’s all go for McGrath next season

2:38pm Thursday 23rd October 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Anthony McGrath is in for a busy time of things in 2009 as he attempts to juggle being a top-order batsman, a county captain and a Yorkshire beneficiary.

But the 33-year-old is confident he can handle all three roles well enough to be able to lead the Tykes to success.

“One of my big challenges next year is to continue scoring runs that justifies my spot in the team,” said former England man McGrath.

“As a captain, if you are performing well and consistently it is easier to give orders and lead a side.

“I am conscious that I have got to start the season well to make sure I am scoring runs. If I am doing that, then the captaincy will be made a lot easier.

“The benefit is a fantastic thing for myself but from now to Christmas I am going to try to organise that as much as I can so it is not in the way of my cricket.”

Just last week, McGrath was announced as successor to the retiring Darren Gough as the new Yorkshire captain.

It is his second crack at the whip, having done the job briefly in 2003, and he was quick to reveal his main aim – consistency.

McGrath recognises that Yorkshire played some good cricket in patches last summer; more so in the one-day arena than four-day.

“You look at teams like Durham, who seem to compete in every competition, and that’s where we want to be at,” he said.

“Our focus has got to be consistency in all competitions, although every county captain at every club will say the same.

“You want to win silverware in as many competitions as you can but I think our real challenge is going to be to continue our development as a one-day team.

“We were unlucky last year because with a bit of luck we could have won something on the one-day front.

“Over the last two years we have led the Championship for periods of time but have fallen away at vital stages.

“We have got a fairly young squad but the personnel we have suggests there is no reason why we can’t win something. The challenge for us is to keep improving on the last two years.”