YORKSHIRE SIGHTS SET ON FARBRACE
PAUL FARBRACE is to be offered the chance to succeed departing Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie.
Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, is understood to have been informally sounded out by a club official before the one-day international against Pakistan in Leeds this week.
The 49-year-old was second XI coach at Headingley under Gillespie before quitting at the start of 2014 to become Sri Lanka coach.
Yorkshire, who are trying to match the historic achievements of their team of the 1960s by winning their third consecutive County Championship title, have been revitalised during Gillespie’s five-season spell in charge.
But the Australian has been full of praise for the work done by former sidekick Farbrace – who won the World Twenty20 with the Sri Lankans before being lured back by England.
Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon refused to name likely contenders but hinted their No.1 target was a familiar face at Headingley.
“I have ideas, which I can’t divulge at the minute, and we will see how those initial ideas pan out,” he said.
“It is always about the team, both the team on the pitch, and the team of support staff, who work really closely together, so it’s about finding someone who will fit into that and make the process as seamless as possible.
“People who have been here in the past have really good jobs, and at the minute I don’t want to start a rumour mill.”
Farbrace has a reputation for motivating players, and promoting freedom of expression.
He has forged a brilliant relationship with England coach Trevor Bayliss, initially as his No.2 with Sri Lanka.
However, the chance to become head coach of English cricket’s most powerful county club will arguably be more attractive than Surrey, whose advances Farbrace snubbed earlier this year.
Despite Yorkshire’s sustained success, the man to follow Gillespie will face the challenge of nurturing the next generation.
“We need to find someone who can maintain the success of this current squad because we have some excellent senior players within the group,” Moxon added.
“But they are not going to play forever, so over the next three years we have got to manage the transition of getting the next generation into the team while still winning.
“Dizzy’s successor can look forward to waking up each morning and enjoying the day.”