Five reasons for Yorkshire's resurgence in the County Championship
Yorkshire won the championship in 2014 and retained it in 2015If there’s anything more difficult that winning a major title in sport, it’s defending the title in the next competition. A single win might have you labelled down as a one-time wonder or a lucky accident, but once you’ve proved you can defend that title, you’ve truly made it yours. Just ask Roger Federer, or Jack Nicklaus, or for that matter, ask the Yorkshire County Cricket Club.Last week, amidst a wild potpourri of madness and emotion, Yorkshire defended the English County Championship title for the first time since 1968. Statistically the most successful side in the championship’s history, Yorkshire fell into a rut after their win in 2001, failing to regularly make the top 3 and finally getting relegated at the end of the 2011 season – an all time low.Hard decisions were made, officials were sacked, and a new look team was promised. One of the oldest and most respected cricketing clubs of all time was in decay, and there doubts whether Yorkshire could ever regain lost glory.But Yorkshire managed to fight it out. A few right appointments, a couple of new signings and Yorkshire quickly secured promotion to the main draw. In a complete makeover, Yorkshire chased arch-rivals Durham all the way through the tournament, but lost crucial matches and ended as runners-up. But their players never lost hope. They tried again the following year, and won the championship.Their best was yet to come, as Yorkshire passed the toughest test of them all and regained their title in the recently concluded 2015 season, to prove once and for all, that they had truly returned. Let’s take a look at 5 major reasons behind Yorkshire’s miraculous resurgence:
#1 New coach, new philosophies
Right after Yorkshire’s embarrassing relegation in 2001, their selectors sat down in a huddle. Their team was going nowhere, and if they didn’t take a step then, it would be too late. Desperate times called for desperate measures – and Yorkshire took one. They appointed former Australian fast-bowler Jason Gillespie as coach. For an Australian to be appointed coach of Yorkshire, it was clearly a sign that they were pulling out all the stops.
But Gillespie delivered. He immediately took over the team, and talked about his idea to create a disciplined team who would watch each other’s backs – something he tweets as #strongunit. His philosophy of strong unit immediately resonated with the players, who took to him quickly. Gillespie does not believe in mollycoddling his troops, preferring to let them have their fun. But that doesn’t mean he’s a lenient coach, as Liam Plunkett and Glenn Maxwell were suspended for not keeping in with the team’s strict disciplinary nature.
Gillespie has proven to be a shrewd and calculating coach – the kind that focuses on the long run instead of wanting to finish each match then and there. As Sir Alex Ferguson said – “Attack may win you games, but defence will win you titles”, Gillespie seems to be of the same mould. A quick look at his statistics each season will be proof enough:
Year | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Position Finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012(Division 2) | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
2013(Division 1) | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
2014(Division 1) | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
2015(Division 1) Ongoing | 13 (As of 12 September 2015) | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
It is evident that Yorkshire has only lost 3 matches under Jason Gillespie in the last 4 years. It is this mindset of keeping the balance that helps Yorkshire tick. Apart from his brilliant management, he has also been involved in multiple signings over the years which proved to be crucial for Yorkshire to get back in the big leagues. He helped bring back Ryan Sidebottom and Liam Plunkett to bolster the pace attack, while signing Kane Williamson and Cheteshwar Pujara as overseas players to keep the batting solid.
The signing of current sensation David Willey will be a huge boost for Yorkshire as they will undoubtedly look to defend their title for three years in a row – something that no team has done since 1968. The last team to do it was...Yorkshire.
Gillespie might attribute his players’ dedication and spirit as the reason for Yorkshire winning the championship, but credit must be give to his own inimitable style of coaching and hard-as-nails management.