All right, I'll get is started. WHO should be the Yorkshire captain in 2010?
The top three candidates appear to be: Anthony McGrath, Joe Sayers, and Jacques Rudolph.
McGrath: The incumbent, has experience, but little success.
Sayers: No experience, but has the smarts.
Rudolph: A little experience, but worries that he may leave the team due to changes in the Kolpack rules.
Perhaps we're loking for an overseas player to come in and take charge. Part of me feels that we need some new energy/confidence/imagination from outside the current pool of players....
It will be Mags. I can see him, er, taking his bat home if he's stripped of the captaincy. I've not heard any rumblings that he didn't enjoy his spell in the role.
Personally, I'd like it to be the overseas player if he's experienced enough.
Sayers without doubt, big beleiver that you don't heap added pressure on your best players (Mags/Rudi). Playing in the one day stuff would also do Joe no harm.
If this thread had started last week I'd have gone with Hoggy. Experienced, detached, friend to all, but best friend with none.
From the current crop?
Sayers - to me he doesn't have the drive the role requires and appears to afraid of risk. He doesn't inspire me. Are his supportors confusing academic and 'cricket' intelligence? Sayers is by far the most academically qualified but this alone doesn't make a cricket captain.
Rudi - looked worse than Mags when he lead the team this summer, not exactly a glowing testimonial.
Gale - he won't actually get in my starting line up, I'd pick Lyth and Bairstow ahead of him.
Overseas bowler - unlikely to fit the captaincy bill. Will be to knackered from bowling 'many many' overs.
Overseas batter - very unlikely to be added to the squad, so discounted although a Langer / Smith type addition would be a very postive addition.
Mags - has some potential, although struggled desperately at times last year. Needs to be more positive, trust his spinners and be more incisive with his field placings. Appears to enjoy the support and loyality of his players. I'd go with Mags in the absense of a realistic alternative.
similar to strauss really! left hander, not the quickest scorer and not really suited to one day cricket but that side of his game like strauss improved at the back end of the season IMO!
Doesn't seem a natural leader like Strauss didn't but an intelligent bloke and could do worse than give Joe a go
Mage keeps saying he's enjoyed being captain ... but the body language said differently ... & McGrath the batsman has looked as though he had the cares of the world on his shoulders ... there have also been quite a few games where it hasn't been obvious who was in charge with 3 or 4 players setting the field (Mags, Sayers, Rudolph & Brophy) with Hoggy doing the cheer leading AND putting his arm round bowlers having 'probelms'
Agree with Sid, before this week I would have gone with Hoggard for the same reasons as stated. As it is now I would go for Sayers or Gale or perhaps Sayers as 4 day captain and Gale as 1 day captain. Joe would not be a "shoe-in" for the 1 day side and Gale similarly is fighting for one of the batting slots along with Root, Lyth, Bairstow and Ballance. What may happen, of course, is that Mags "takes his bat home" if he is relieved of the captaincy. I hope he does not, as I personally believe it will improve his own performances without the weight of the captaincy on his shoulders.
Mags cannot take his bat home as he is under contract for 2010 and he more than anyone else knows he won't be able to get out of this contract without the clubs consent.
I don't think he enjoyed being captain and he may favour taking on the role of senior pro who can offer wise counsel to a younger leader - Sayers or Gale or a combination of both depending on the format is very sensible.
It may all boil down to money again. McGrath is unlikely to accept a pay cut should he not be captain and whoever steps up would probably want a pay rise to do the job.