Anthony McGrath has high hopes after assuming his position as Yorkshire’s new men’s head coach.
The former county captain and England all-rounder has started work after returning to Headingley from Essex, where he was a multiple title-winning coach.
McGrath has been speaking ahead of tomorrow’s fixture release for the Rothesay County Championship and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Last week, the Vitality Blast T20 fixtures for 2025 were released by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“We should be looking to win every competition, and that’s the message and the mindset I want to get across to the players,” said the Yorkshire legend.
Last week, the ECB revealed that Yorkshire will start next season’s Blast campaign against Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Headingley on Friday May 30.
The two Roses North Group matches against Lancashire Lightning are at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday July 11 and at Headingley the following Thursday (July 17).
Finals Day at Edgbaston takes place on Saturday September 13.
That was where McGrath led Essex to glory in 2019, but Yorkshire have never won this crown.
The summer just gone, they finished seventh in the North with six wins, seven defeats and a No Result.
The county have struggled for consistency down the years in T20, even going back to McGrath’s days as a player in the early 2000s.
Asked for his view on why, he said: “First and foremost, over the next couple of months, I want to get to grips with what’s happened here before.
“Every club is different. The North and South Group, cricket’s different because of the pitches, weather, those sorts of things. But I think it’s perhaps more a belief thing.
“Belief and mentality is vitally important, ‘We’re going to play a certain way and stick to it’.
“I think home form’s vitally important.
“Once you get on that road and things start to go well, confidence is a huge thing.”
Although all counties will want to win all competitions, with Yorkshire no different – as McGrath has already said, there’s no doubt that the Championship and Blast take on more prominence in an English domestic summer.
The county have returned to Division One of the Championship following promotion in September.
“The expectation is that we’ve got to try and win it,” said McGrath.
“Teams have come up from Division Two before and won it.
“The 10 teams who are in it will believe they’ve got a realistic chance, and we certainly should do with the squad we’ve got.
“Surrey are the benchmark at the moment with winning the three titles. But there’s no reason why not.”
