Inside Yorkshire’s rapid rise and how they will hunt a first Championship title in 10 years on return to top flight: The three breakout stars on their way and the four overseas stars on their radar

Anthony McGrath has refused to put a ceiling on Yorkshire’s ambitions this year, insisting that a club of their stature should always be challenging for the County Championship title.

English domestic cricket’s most decorated county has only just returned to the top flight, but recently appointed head coach McGrath knows this need not be a barrier to silverware having been part of the backroom staff when Essex followed promotion in 2017 the main prize.

‘A club like this can never be in transition. I know every team has its ups and downs, but the players want to compete at the top,” McGrath told Mail Sport.

“So I think if my message was, ‘let’s just try to survive,’ that would make a huge change in mindset. With the squad we have, hopefully with the addition of some good foreign players, we should compete in the league. both Championship and Twenty20 cricket.

“It’s not a throwaway line. I really believe Yorkshire should be competing for honors every year and we need to instill that in the players.

“You’ve seen the clubs that compete year in and year out, and some of them aren’t proving grounds, so Yorkshire should be leading the way.”

Yorkshire were promoted from Division Two in 2024 and are aiming for a first title in ten years

McGrath said Yorkshire must challenge for honors in both the Championship and T20 cricket

As Essex head coach, McGrath oversaw a Championship and Vitality Blast double in 2019 and won the Bob Willis Trophy the following summer.

And he inherits a team that enters the 2025 season with momentum after five wins in an unbeaten second half of last year’s Division Two campaign, which saw Yorkshire beat Middlesex for second place behind Sussex.

The championship title drought for the most successful team in the history of English domestic cricket now stands at 10 years – not a disaster for most, but McGrath has higher standards.

“If you watched from a distance you could see a real team spirit coming and there were some really good individual performances,” said McGrath, who was appointed to replace Ottis Gibson at the helm ahead of the upturn in form.

“The most exciting thing is that there is a core group of young players who have had some really important experiences, good and bad. They were brought into the team very early on, probably a few before they were ready, but I think that really put them in good stead.

‘They are convinced that they can do it now. Obviously Division One will be better cricket but I don’t think they should let that deter them.”

It raised eyebrows on the east side of the Pennines that James Wharton’s 833 runs in nine 2024 games with a Bazball strike rate of 68.89 were behind Rocky Flintoff’s total of 87 in four appearances when it came to selection for the winter squads of England Lions; at the top of the list, 22-year-old Finn Bean has averaged 40 across two full Championship campaigns, proving a step up in quality from prolific veteran Adam Lyth; George Hill, two years behind Harry Brook at Sedbergh School, averages 33 with the bat and 26 with the ball in first-class cricket.

“Age is on their side, they’ve already had a really good foundation and the exciting thing for me about the squad is that there will be times when our England boys will be available to come in and throw some stardust,” says McGrath .

Yorkshire has several promising talents, such as James Wharton (left) and Finlay Bean (right)

There is hope that England star Joe Root could feature at the start of the season

Yorkshire have targeted four overseas sailors, including Australian star Will Sutherland

Joe Root will be in attendance ahead of the summer test matches against Zimbabwe and India and while Brook is unlikely to don provincial colors in 2025, Jonny Bairstow’s exile in England means he will be in the mix again, along with the returning Dawid Malan.

“When he’s free, Jonny will play, as he showed last year, and I’m sure all the English boys will love playing for Yorkshire,” McGrath said.

Malan, 37, has not featured in four-day cricket since signing a one-year ECB contract in 2023-24 after failing to negotiate a £4,500 pay-as-you-play deal 12 months ago. However, a new deal has now been agreed with the club and the left-hander’s versatility adds to the batting depth.

“His experience will help,” McGrath explains. “Because of his age he is aware of his body and things like that, but for me as a coach it’s great to hear him say he wants to be there. He’s a class player, so why not try to get him into the team if he’s available?’

Yorkshire are also looking to add two foreign players to their squad in their bid to prevent Surrey becoming the first team since the 1950s to win four consecutive County Championship crowns.

They lost New Zealander Matt Henry, who opted to return to Somerset for less money, and he has been told that his compatriot Will O’Rourke – who shone during his rookie year in Test cricket in 2024 with 36 wickets from 24 .8 each – that will be limited to just one first-class appearance and eight T20 games if they want to sign him.

Scott Boland was also on the recruitment wishlist along with New South Wales captain Jack Edwards, but the former has since re-emerged as a test force with Australia and could have restrictions placed on him, while the latter is believed to have agreed to them. a move to Hampshire, meaning a third Australian in Will Sutherland could enter the equation.

“It’s no secret we’re looking for bowlers because of what we’ve lost and bowlers are crucial, especially in Division One,” said McGrath, whose return to Headingley coincided with the departure to Surrey of homegrown Matt Fisher, the move from Dom Leech to Northamptonshire. and a second stress fracture of the back in as many years for the unfortunate Matt Milnes.