Paul Dyson takes a break from the Memory Grounds series and looks at the records which Tim Bresnan has created for both Yorkshire and England, following the announcement that he is to leave Yorkshire with immediate effect.
Bresnan first wore the Yorkshire shirt in 2001; he played in four List A matches in that season and 21 in 2002 before making his first-class debut in 2003 as well as, like everyone else, also experiencing the T20 format for the first time. This means that he played for the county for 19 seasons and this places him amongst a very exclusive list of those whose careers fall entirely within the last 50 years, as the following shows.
LONGEST PLAYING CAREER FOR YORKSHIRE SINCE 1970
| P Carrick | 1970 – 1993 | 24 seasons |
|---|---|---|
| DL Bairstow | 1970 – 1990 | 21 seasons |
| RJ Blakey | 1985 – 2004 | 20 seasons |
| C White | 1990 – 2008 | 19 seasons |
| TT Bresnan | 2001 – 2019 | 19 seasons |
| MD Moxon | 1980 – 1997 | 18 seasons |
| A McGrath | 1995 – 2012 | 18 seasons |
In 2006 Bresnan was awarded both his county cap and his England cap as that was the season when his international career began with four ODIs against Sri Lanka, the first being at Lord’s. Three years later his Test career started and, amazingly, he was a member of the winning England team in all of the first 13 matches of his five-day format career. This is an England record, whether it is from the start of a Test career or not, and is only two short of the world record of 15 for a debutant held by Adam Gilchrist of Australia. (The world record for non-debutants is held by four Australians from the same era and stands at 16.) England’s original record for this feat was also held by a Yorkshireman: George Ulyett experienced ten successive victories during his career and since that time Ashley Giles has also beaten that figure.
