Opening decision for new captain

12:00pm Friday 7th November 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Andrew Gale believes one of the first jobs awaiting new Yorkshire captain Anthony McGrath is to sort out the opening partnership for County Championship matches.

McGrath and director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon will get their heads together over the winter to discuss a key area that proved a little more than problematic in 2008.

But Gale, who was the white rose county’s most successful opener last season, has revealed that he is not best suited to take on the job.

The Tykes were forced to field nine different opening partnerships in 16 four-day matches last term, spanning 24 innings, and there was not one stand of 100 or more and ten single-figure scores.

In fact there was only one score above 50 – an 82 between Gale and Chris Taylor in a draw against Surrey at Headingley.

“I certainly think it is an area that we need to look at because we had a lot of different opening partnerships last summer,” said Gale, who was just one of six men to face up to the new ball.

Gale and Adam Lyth opened ten times each – once more than Joe Sayers and Michael Vaughan. Chris Taylor opened six times, while Jacques Rudolph did the job on four occasions.

And Gale, who turns 25 later this month, scored 329 runs with a top score of 136 in a Roses match against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

“I am best suited to batting in the middle order,” said the Dewsbury-born left-hander.

“That is something I have already spoken to Martyn about. I didn’t really want to open but we had a few problems with injuries and lack of form through the middle of the season. I put my hand up and told Martyn that I would do the job if required.

“I got a hundred against Lancashire, which I was obviously very happy with, but I still feel my game is best suited to batting in the middle order.

“We do have plenty of options in that department. Adam Lyth showed he is more than capable of doing the job.”

Ironically, Gale also hinted that Yorkshire’s second most successful opener in 2008, former England captain Vaughan, would also prefer to bat down the order.

“I got the impression that No 3 would be his preferred role,” revealed Gale.

If Vaughan, who is still centrally contracted with the ECB but is expected to play most of his cricket with Yorkshire, gets his wish to bat at No 3 then the decision could be taken out of Gale’s hands.