Gordon Laidlaw didn’t have to think twice when asked to dust off the bat and take his place in Yorkshire’s team for this week’s first ever Disability game at Headingley.
At the age of 43, Laidlaw retired from all cricket last September, including county cricket and club cricket.
But he has been asked to captain Yorkshire against an England Select XI in Friday’s 30-over showcase friendly match, starting at 11am.
Doncaster native Laidlaw has been there and pretty much done it all in Disability Cricket. He won the Physical Disability World Cup in 2015 with England and the 2023 National Quest League title with Yorkshire, for example.
But there has been something missing, until now.
“I’ve never played at Headingley,” said the prolific batter.
Picture courtesy of Gordon Laidlaw. Gordon celebrates with the England PD World Cup trophy in Bangladesh in 2015.
“I’ve played at county grounds across the country and other famous grounds around the world. But growing up in Yorkshire, this is always something you want to do.
“As soon as Owen Jervis (Yorkshire Disability team manager) asked me, I was like, ‘Yeah, definitely’.
“I jumped at the chance to play. I haven’t played since the end of last year, so I’d not picked a bat up for 12 months.
“I’ve picked up the bat again and have been in the nets, just trying to get bat on ball again, and I’ve also been taking some catches to get used to it again.
“I didn’t think I’d be doing it again, but for this it’s well worth it.
“People say to me, ‘Have you missed the game?’ I’ve missed more the social side of it, so seeing some of my old team-mates will be a special thing.”
Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com. Yorkshire president Jane Powell’s day job is the ECB Disability Performance Manager. She has put together a strong England Select team to visit Headingley on Friday.
Laidlaw captained Yorkshire to last year’s National Quest League title, which came the year after promotion.
Matt Bateman, who will play on Friday, has captained the team this year but will hand leadership duties over to his predecessor for this one-off occasion.
“It was quite a touching moment for me that people still do think of me, and you’re not forgotten in the game,” continued Laidlaw. “It’s a massive occasion, and it was lovely to be asked by Owen and Jane Powell.
“It will be a proud moment to walk out and captain a Yorkshire team at Headingley having not done it before.
“I’ve had some really good moments, and cricket’s been good to me over the years. For that, I’m really grateful.
“Growing up playing cricket in Yorkshire, having been to Headingley on multiple occasions to watch county and international cricket, it’s definitely something which will be up there amongst the experiences I’ve had.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. England Learning Disability star Alex Jervis will represent Yorkshire at Headingley.
Laidlaw played county cricket for Yorkshire for almost 17 years and was a World Cup winner with England in 2015 in Bangladesh.
“In Disability Cricket, winning that World Cup in 2015 will always be the pinnacle,” he reflected.
“Everyone dreams of doing that in whatever game you play. But winning the National League winning two years ago is definitely up there as a key moment.
“I’ve played on a number of county grounds. I played in the Disability Premier League final at Derby last year for the Pirates, for example. But playing at Headingley is right up there for me.”
Yorkshire president Jane Powell’s day job is the ECB’s Disability performance manager, and she has put together a strong England side for the game, spanning three disability groups – Deaf, Physical Disability and Learning Disability.
England Deaf and LD captains, Chris Edwards and George Greenway, will play.
Picture courtesy of Thongsbridge CC. Pakistan Deaf international fast bowler Adnan Ghani will be part of Yorkshire’s team to face England.
Yorkshire’s team includes internationals such as Adnan Ghani, Rob Hewitt, Alex Jervis, Jake Oakes and Liam Thomas.
“You look at the two team-sheets, the talent on show is immense,” said Laidlaw. “This isn’t going to be just a game of disability cricket, it’s going to be a high-quality game of cricket.
“The England team speaks for itself. They are international cricketers. But the Yorkshire team-sheet is full of lads who are either there now, have been there or are potential for the future.
“Some of the names on show are amongst the best in Disability Cricket.
“What success would look like is someone watching this game and saying, ‘I want to get involved in that, how do I do it?’.
“That’s the main thing about the day, showcasing the talent which Disability Cricket has got.
Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. England Learning Disability captain Chris Edwards will be in the national side to tackle Yorkshire.
“It also shows that Yorkshire is really supporting Disability Cricket. It’s putting it high on the map now, and the county are welcoming everyone who plays the game in the county.
“Thanks to Jane, Owen, the ground-staff and the club in general for getting this game on.
“It’s another indicator as to how far Disability Cricket has come and where it’s going. It should be a great day.”
