Ben Coad is hoping to continue what has been a very productive winter training programme in sunnier climes over the next few weeks.
Coad is one of a host of Yorkshire players involved in mid-winter training camps in Dubai, India and Pakistan.
The prolific new ball seamer is leading a quartet of bowlers who have headed out to the UAE; Ben Cliff, Ben Mike and Matthew Revis the others.
Later this month, six batters will travel to India for their own camp, a trip which has been supported by a £2,000 donation from the Yorkshire Supporters’ Association, for which the club are hugely grateful.
Fin Bean, Harry Duke, George Hill, Will Luxton, Yash Vagadia and James Wharton are the batters heading to the sub-continent, while Dom Leech, Jack Shutt and Jonny Tattersall are all set to train with Lahore Qalandars ahead of the forthcoming Pakistan Super League.
“This winter’s training has been very good, and hopefully it will enable us to hit the ground running come April time,” admitted Coad, who spent the first half of last season on the treatment table after a late winter injury.
The 28-year-old’s training programme has been different to the past, with him getting back to bowling in the East Stand nets well before Christmas.
He said: “It’s the earliest I’ve bowled in a winter, and it’s something we discussed that it may just help if we can keep building the loads up all the way through rather than having four months off and be back to it in January.
“It’s been about getting through our actions, not so much being at match intensity.
“We’ll ramp it up in Dubai, though not to top gear.
“It will be just good to get outside at this stage of the winter.”
Earlier this winter, Coad signed a two-year contract extension with the county, whom he is desperate to help back into Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship at the first time of asking in 2023.
He continued: “I said when the contract was announced that I don’t want the club to be in this situation, and I’m happy to stay here for a lot longer and get it back to the place it should be.
“I’m very happy to commit my future for the next three years.
“We know that with the likes of Brooky, Bluey and Rooty missing for a lot of the year, we’ve got a young squad and it will be tough to win Division Two.
“But our aim has to be to get back into Division One straightaway.
“It will be good for the young lads to come in and get some more game time and experience. There’s some serious talent in there.”
Upon his return to the team in late July, Coad claimed an impressive 26 wickets in 13 appearances across both the Championship and one-day cricket, including his 200th first-class victim.
“I was really happy with how it went personally when I came back in,” he said. “It was obviously a frustrating first half of the year, but I managed to play every game from late July onwards and contribute as well.”
Perhaps most impressive was his eight wickets in seven Royal London Cup matches, conceding only 3.95 runs per over.
On four occasions he went at less than three runs per over, responding to the question of whether it was his career best white ball campaign with the answer of: “Probably.”
He added: “In white ball cricket, you learn a lot every year because the game changes so much.
“In red ball cricket, you know that if you hit the top of off stump for long enough that will work. In white ball, the game’s ever-evolving.
“I was pleased with how it went, but I can definitely get better.”
The Headingley nets will be somewhat of a ghost town through the rest of the month.
Added to the players heading out on Yorkshire organised training camps are those either playing international or franchise cricket around the world.
Adam Lyth is swapping the Big Bash for the new UAE International League T20, which runs from January 13 to February 12.
He is playing for the Desert Vipers. Dawid Malan lines up in the same competition for Sharjah Warriors, Jordan Thompson is playing for the MI Emirates team and Joe Root will line-up for the Dubai Capitals.
Adil Rashid is also due to be in franchise action for the Pretoria Capitals in the new SA20 League, running from January 10 to February 11.
Harry Brook was also due to take part in that competition, but he has been withdrawn by the ECB following a busy period of cricket for the star batter.
He will, though, still be in South Africa with England’s ODI squad for a three-match series from January 27 to February 1. Malan and Rashid are also part of that mini tour.
Malan also played the opening game of the Bangladesh Premier League competition for Comilla Victorians on Friday, somewhat of a warm-up for his UAE commitments.
