Andrew Gale says bowling injuries are an expected feature of this summer’s domestic schedule, and not just at Yorkshire.
Coach Gale is currently cursing the county’s luck after Ben Coad (pectoral) and Matthew Fisher (abdominal) both suffered muscle ailments midway through the opening round LV= Insurance County Championship draw with Glamorgan at Emerald Headingley.
The pair will both miss this week’s trip to Kent, with Gale and co still awaiting definite news on the timeline of their return to action.
Their injuries follow recent problems for the like of Matthew Waite (side), Dom Leech (back) and Jordan Thompson (calf), though the latter could feature in round two from Thursday morning.
“This isn’t just us, it could happen a lot around the traps,” said Gale.
“The ECB actually brought this up on audit. They think there could be more injuries across the board this season than any other during the last 20 years because of the lockdown.
“The more you bowl, the more your body gets used to it. So for the lads to miss out on the amount of cricket they have done over the last 18 months, their bodies won’t adapt as quickly as they should do.
“Our idea is to try and keep the lads bowling all year round so they’re getting used to the workloads.
“I expected a few injuries, but I think we’ve got six or seven lads who are or have been injured.
“A few are close to being back, the likes of Leechy, Tommo and Hilly George Hill.
“But I certainly didn’t expect to lose Waitey, Coady and Fish in the space of a week or whatever it is.”
Gale added: “We knew going into the season this would be a challenge.
“I sit down with the players in their appraisals. And the first target for most of our young bowlers is not about taking wickets, it’s about staying on the park for the full season.
“This is one of the reasons why we signed Lockie Ferguson – a bowler for T20 cricket, because we need to find a way of keeping our own lads fit and on the park.”
