Dan Moriarty is hoping to build on his impressive five-wicket debut and help Yorkshire claim win number two in the LV= Insurance County Championship when they head to Worcestershire on Monday.
Yorkshire’s eighth Division Two fixture sees them travel to New Road (11am), when they will hand an overseas debut to Ryan Rickelton, the South African batter available for the next three Championship matches whilst captain Shan Masood is on international duty.
Getty Images. Ryan Rickelton.
With four draws, a win and two defeats to their name, Jonny Tattersall’s side sit sixth in the table with 68 points. They are 16 behind fourth-placed Worcestershire, who have played a game more and have already won twice from eight.
Surrey loanee spinner Moriarty is making his second of four scheduled Championship appearances for Yorkshire, with him claiming 5-139 from 34.2 overs in the high-scoring Headingley draw against Gloucestershire the week before last.
“It was very nice to get the opportunity to contribute,” said the Reigate-born left-armer, a former South Africa under 19. “It was special. I’ve been waiting to play a bit of cricket this year, and I’m really grateful to get the loan opportunity.
“As a young spinner, you’re keen to bowl lots of overs and to get some game time. Unfortunately at Surrey it wasn’t happening due to the depth they have there.
“I’m just happy I can be here and put in a decent performance.”
Moriarty’s preparation for this fixture included a trip across the Pennines last night to play in Surrey’s Vitality Blast quarter-final win over Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford. It was only his second competitive appearance of the season for his parent county, and he claimed the prized wicket of England white ball captain Jos Buttler in a successful defence of 188.
His only other Surrey appearance in 2023 was their remarkable chase of 501 to beat Kent in the Championship at Canterbury last month.
It explains his decision to look for first-team cricket elsewhere.
Moriarty would have loved for his five-for to have contributed to more than a draw against Gloucestershire. Fingers crossed, that happens against a Worcester side who are set to include former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite having left Headingley towards the end of last season.
“Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side,” said Moriarty. “But, from our point, there was a lot of good cricket played.
“The core of this team, you have a nice balance of some experienced players and some really young ones who in the next three or four years will be really integral to the club’s success.”
Despite his lack of recent game time, the 24-year-old has been impressive in the early stages of a first-class career he still hopes can bring him the ultimate goal of Test Cricket with England. He has taken 47 wickets in 10 appearances so far.
“Gareth Batty (Surrey coach) has been my mentor for the last four years. He’s helped me a lot having played for England and all around the world. He’s guided me,” said Moriarty.
“I’m still trying to learn my game.”
Bowling spin on good pitches such as those at the Oval and Headingley, he believes, will stand him in good stead.
He said: “I think the process of playing on good wickets allows you to do better on wickets that are a bit more loaded in your favour. For me, playing a lot of my cricket at the Oval, it’s good. You have to hold the game together and bowl lots of dots balls.
“Having aspirations to go further and play Test Cricket and stuff like that, it would be tested on wickets like that.
“I kind of live by the rule that if I bowl 10 overs, I’ll should take a wicket.
“I’m always thinking more longer term and not looking to do it quickly because I think when you try and get wickets is when you start to leak.”
Moriarty was asked the question about the potentially for an extended stay at Headingley if things go well, but understandably played a flat bat: “One game at a time,” he added.
“I’ll try to do my best and we’ll see where it goes from there. It’s definitely something I would consider, but nothing’s set in stone.”
It would be no surprise, with the Kookaburra ball in use again for this fixture, to see Ottis Gibson and Tattersall opt to play two spinners.
Dom Bess is back from his one game loan and was bowling at the England squad earlier this week ahead of the third Ashes Test Match at Headingley. Jafer Chohan is also another option.
Left-handed Rickelton has played four Test Matches and two One-Day Internationals for South Africa last year and this. One of his Test appearances was against England at the Kia Oval last September – Harry Brook’s debut.
He is a wicketkeeper batter but has played five of his six internationals as a specialist batter, a role he will fill for Yorkshire whilst Tattersall takes the gloves.
The 26-year-old scored 539 runs in four mid-season Championship matches for Northamptonshire last season. In eight innings, he scored four fifties and two hundreds and averaged 77.
Worcestershire are captained by opening batter Jake Libby, who has been their leading run-scorer in this season’s Championship with 631 runs. Former skipper Joe Leach has led the way with the ball, his seamers yielding 34 wickets.
Waite has hit 411 runs and taken 19 wickets.
