CRITICS ARE URGED TO LAY OFF DOM BESS AND ALLOW HIM TO DEVELOP
MARTYN MOXON wants critics to lay off Dom Bess and instead back a player of “huge potential” as he tipped the young Yorkshire off-spinner to recover from a difficult winter at international level.
Moxon was unhappy with some of the criticism levelled at Bess who was dropped for the second and third Tests in India despite having taken 17 wickets in the three Tests prior to that – two in Sri Lanka and the seriesopening triumph against India in Chennai.
The Yorkshire director of cricket, who helped to bring Bess to the club on a four-year deal announced last September, felt that the 23-year-old was “an easy target” for critics and pundits who highlighted the player’s struggle for consistency.
Bess admitted that he was blindsided by his axing after the first Test, describing it as “a tough pill to swallow”, before being recalled for the fourth and final game when his difficulties only started again.
Moxon did not name names or single anyone out for criticising Bess but he did feel that the general tone of analysis and judgement, while not suggesting that it should have deviated from the facts, was unfair on a cricketer making his way.
“I was really disappointed for him, to be honest,” said Moxon. “I think some of the coverage was too hard and we should be encouraging and supporting a young spinner who’s already performed well at international level; we don’t want to be destroying a young talent through very harsh criticism.
“Yeah, you could say that he didn’t bowl well at times, but at other times he bowled very well indeed and got plenty of wickets.
“Some of the words I saw used were over-the-top and some of the coverage was very unfair.”
Bess joined Yorkshire from Somerset after impressing during two loan spells at Headingley in 2019 and is still finding his way at first-class level – let alone in international cricket.
The Exeter-born player has made just 51 first-class appearances – 14 of them Test matches – and has played just 29 County Championship games.
Bess actually has a superior Test bowling average to Moeen Ali, who replaced him for the second Test in Chennai, albeit over a sample size roughly onequarter of Moeen’s career – Bess averages 33.97 from his 14 Tests as opposed to Moeen’s 36.24 from 61 games.
England’s decision to replace Bess with Moeen for the second Test was itself criticised by many observers, given that Moeen was rested for the final two Tests ahead of a T20 series in which he did not play, with the tourists then gambling on pace for the day/night third Test in Ahmedabad.
“Dom has played only a handful of games and is literally learning his trade in international cricket, which is incredibly difficult,” added Moxon.
“We need to protect him as a 23-year-old spinner who’s got huge potential and we have to understand that he’s not going to be a Ravi Ashwin overnight – that type of experienced, quality performer – or a Graeme Swann, who was probably 28 or 29 before he was at his peak.
“It’s not as if Dom didn’t contribute during the winter because he did contribute, that’s the point.
“He contributed in Sri Lanka, he contributed in that first Test in India and got four wickets in the first innings, so to be left out was obviously disappointing for him.
“The problem with that, though, is that when you get left out because they want you to be more consistent, then as soon as you play again you’re under pressure straight away to be consistent.
“Then as soon as you’re not consistent, you’re under even more pressure, so it’s a vicious circle.
“It’s something sportsmen have to deal with, but I thought personally it was over-the-top (the criticism) for what he’s done already playing for England.
“I think he deserves a little bit more understanding than he was shown by the critics, so let’s just understand where he’s at with his career and let’s support him and encourage him rather than absolutely destroy him.”
Moxon said that Bess’s confidence had taken a hit but backed him to come back strongly for Yorkshire this summer.
He said the player is relishing the chance to become a key part of the Yorkshire side, with the club having struggled to replace Adil Rashid’s wickets and runs after the leg-spinner effectively quit first-class cricket three years ago.
“Dom lost some confidence, there’s no doubt about that, because being left out and the criticism he got – it’s very hard not to let that affect you, certainly at 23 years old,” said Moxon.
“It’s very difficult to shrug that off, but he’s hopefully going to build his confidence back up by playing for us and he’ll come back stronger, I’m sure.
“I think he just needs to play some cricket – he’s played very few first-class games, that’s a fact – and he’s looking forward to the season and playing for us.
“We’re looking forward to having him too and giving him the opportunity to gain experience; he’s such a good cricketer, we just need to support him.”
Some of the words were over-the-top and some coverage very unfair. Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon on the treatment of Dom Bess.
NOT SO much taking sweets off children as taking runs off students.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore made it look ridiculously simple yesterday, scoring 109 on day one of the three-day friendly against Leeds-Bradford MCCU, reaching his hundred 20 minutes before lunch.
Kohler-Cadmore retired out at lunch and might still have been batting now had he not done so.
There seemed little prospect of him being shifted by conventional means, the tall right-hander driving and pulling with customary power as Yorkshire scored 417-4 ahead of what promises to be an important season for him.
Aged 26, and having worked his way firmly on to England’s radar (he was part of their backto-training group last year and previously represented England Lions), Kohler-Cadmore is at a pivotal stage of his career.
He had a good winter with Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League, and with Pune Devils in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, enhancing his status as a white-ball player.
But his red-ball credentials are increasingly impressive.
Pre-pandemic, Kohler-Cadmore looked primed to show as much to a wider audience, having scored more than 1,000 firstclass runs in 2019, but he is not getting carried away at the prospect of achieving full England honours.
“I always think everyone in county cricket is kind of six weeks, seven weeks away from being talked about for England,” he said yesterday, after making his runs from exactly 100 balls with 21 fours and a straight six off the left-arm spinner Josh Haynes into the Emerald Stand.
“Say if one of our youngsters, James Wharton, broke into the Yorkshire first-team and scored four hundreds in six weeks, opening the batting, I’m pretty sure there’d be people talking about potential England for him, or at least a Lions tour.
“You only have to look at Dom Sibley a couple of years ago. He scored so many runs that they couldn’t not pick him, and he’s not looked back since. So every player in England has the opportunity.
“Obviously I’d like to be the one who’s putting my name out there, but, if not, then that’s just the way it is. At 26, anything can happen career-wise. But there’s definitely the hunger there to play for England, there’s the hunger to be Yorkshire’s leading run-scorer every season, and all I can do is give it my best.”
If Kohler-Cadmore sounds relaxed about his prospects of playing Test and/or white-ball international cricket, as opposed to giving off the air of someone who is fretting about things as the sands of time trickle, it is because he is comfortable with where his career is at now.
His growing experience of T20 franchise cricket around the world has broadened his knowledge and improved his game, and he points to the example of how this has assisted the likes of Liam Livingstone, the Lancashire batsman who is a year older at 27, and who made his one-day international debut for England last week.
“You look at Liam Livingstone,” said Kohler-Cadmore. “He’s now come into international cricket and looked at home because he’s played in the IPL, the Big Bash, the PSL, and so on.
“He’s played against all the cricketers that he’ll be playing against on the international stage, and I just think it (franchise cricket) helps to grow your experience.
“I’ve not played international cricket yet, but I’ve been able to travel the world and play some great competitions, which I’m very privileged to have done, and for me it’s just about doing well and winning games for the team that I’m in.”
On an excellent batting pitch at Headingley yesterday, with both teams naming 13 players, Kohler-Cadmore stood tall in more ways than one.
The students fought hard after winning the toss – they have had precious little preparation due to the Covid restrictions – and it was tough going for them on an extremely breezy if sun-kissed day, with the wind whipping and whistling around the old ground.
Kohler-Cadmore reached his half-century from 55 balls and needed only 28 more deliveries to bring up his hundred. He made his 109 out of 146 for the first wicket with Tom Loten, the 22-year-old who crafted a patient 84 from 206 balls with 11 fours before falling just before tea, caught at slip off the spinner Haynes.
Gary Ballance continued his solid pre-season with 66 from 88 balls with eight fours and a six, off-spinner Nick Keast removing him courtesy of a catch behind the stumps as he attempted to cut.
Harry Brook struck 76 from 110 balls with 12 fours before edging Hishaam Khan behind, Will Fraine (61) and Jonny Tattersall (11) the not out batsmen.