Boycott: Gale a dark horse to replace Strauss

The former Test opener has been one of Gale’s mentors since the 26-year-old took over leadership duties from Anthony McGrath in the winter.

The left-hander has guided Yorkshire to the top of the LV= County Championship table, scoring his fair share of runs as well as taking to captaincy like a duck to water.

And, when asked whether Gale was ready to play international cricket, Boycott said: “Only time will tell. But, if he gets himself established, he could be a dark horse to replace Strauss down the line.”

Boycott, who is a director on the board at Yorkshire, was part of the panel who selected Gale as the club’s next, and youngest ever, professional captain.

It would be fair to say that the decision was somewhat of a punt. But Boycott disagreed: “I didn’t think it was a risk because we looked at it very closely, and we’ve been proved right.

“We considered a number of people, including Jacques (Rudolph). He (Gale) has since captained the Lions, so England have obviously seen something in him as well. He’s a leader, and he’s done very well.”

Gale, who has also spoken in depth to Michael Vaughan about captaincy, went out to visit Boycott in South Africa over the winter to do the same thing. “I told him to be yourself, just be your own man,” commented Boycott.

Gale said: “I spoke to Geoff about where the club is going. He gave me a lot of advice about which direction Yorkshire should be going in, and so far that has worked.

“We have decided to back our young players, and that means we will make mistakes. But it is going well so far. We will not fail through lack of trying.

“He gave me a lot of advice and confidence, and I know that Geoff is there at any stage of the season if I need him.

“I know I am a young captain who will make mistakes at times but knowing that Geoff is there is a big help because I know how much experience he has of captaining not only Yorkshire but also his country.”

Boycott, straight talking as ever, believes there is no pressure on Yorkshire to win the Championship, despite putting themselves in a fantastic position.

“They’ve just got to go out and enjoy it,” he said. “They’re out there playing cricket in the fresh air with the sun on their backs all day while other people are getting a bus at 7am to go and work in an office. They’d swap in a flash. Tell me which job you’d rather have.”

Boycott also believes it would be foolish to rush Adil Rashid back into the England fold if he continues his form in both four-day and one-day cricket from now until the end of the season.

“There’s no point rushing him because he’s got the possibility of another 15 years left in his career. That’s a long time.

“Just let him play. It’s better for him to be playing day in, day out rather than sat on his backside. He’s doing okay with us at the moment.”

* Boycott’s new book, Play Cricket the Right Way, is published by Great Northern books, priced at £9.99.

It is filled with animated strips and pictures, helping youngsters to learn the game.

Having been first published in 1976 after Boycott was inspired by a similar project from South African golfer Gary Player, the new release includes innovations such as Muttiah Muralitharan’s doosra and Kevin Pietersen’s switch hit.

Talking of books, I was told by David Warner, the T&A’s former Yorkshire correspondent, a few weeks ago that he had come across an admirer of my writing.

As you may have guessed, I was gobsmacked. He said he’d been searching for months! That admirer was a certain Geoff Holmes, who helps run the book stall at Headingley at the side of the West Stand. I was introduced to Geoff and his co-founder Vivien Stone before one of the Twenty20s. They have been running the book stall since 1998, and have raised in the region of £80,000 for the John Featherstone Foundation.

The foundation helps to provide scholarships for young players across Yorkshire.

Geoff and Vivien were the first recipients of the Yorkshire President’s Medal a couple of years ago, given for outstanding service to the club. Keep up the good work guys, and keep reading our copy!

* I will finish for this week with a quick update on the fitness of Joe Sayers.

Joe has been out since the Roses four-day match at Old Trafford at the end of last month after suffering an asthma attack. But the left-handed opener is fit again.

It is just that Gale and Martyn Moxon believe he is not quite ready for a first-team return, especially with the form of Gerard Brophy.

Brophy has kept wicket, scoring a century against Warwickshire, allowing Jonny Bairstow to play as a batsman.

Gale said: “He has not really played any cricket for about the last three weeks. Gerard came in and made a hundred.

“This is a tough side to get into, and Joe knows what he has to do now to get back into the team. The partnership between him and Lythy was good at the start of the season, but that is the nature of cricket. To drop Gerard now would be very tough on him.”