I started by asking Gerard how he had settled in at Yorkshire in 2006.

 

Off the field the lads were fantastic. I really felt part of the squad as soon as I joined which was really nice, because the initial stages of joining a new club can be difficult. Fortunately I knew some of the lads. From the set up I thought the club was really good. Every where’s different but I thought Yorkshire had a very professional set up and all areas were covered. From a playing point of view I had no complaints whatsoever.

 

After the Rudolph signing some people described you as a Kolpak player. You were born in South Africa, but as I understand it you’ve not been a Kolpak.

 

No I’ve never been a Kolpak. Both my Mum and Dad came from the UK. I got across qualifying with a British passport. When I came across from Northlands I had to take a year out of first class cricket to qualify which was quite frustrating. I played a bit for Nottinghamshire 2^nd XI that year and thought my future was there, but ended up with Northamptonshire. I qualified for England at the end of last year so if I can get some runs you never know (laughs).

 

You’ve just included yourself as a candidate, but if I made you Chairman of Selectors who would you pick for the hotly debated England keeping spot?

 

It’s wide open. I would have stuck with Chris Read. A lot of people speak about his batting, but he’s a very good batsman. I think he was quite unfortunate and it must be frustrating for the guy.

 

When Adil Rashid and Mark Lawson arrived amidst a flurry of wickets was it as tough to keep to them as it was to bat against them?

 

It certainly is. I’ve played for 10 or 12 years now and I’ve never kept to a leg-spinner at first class level before – it’s very exciting.

 

Did you practice with them in the nets to get used to them?

 

When Adil made his debut at Scarborough I’d never kept to him before so on the morning of the warm up I went out and said ‘show me what you’ve got’ (laughs). He showed me his variations and I guess from keeping you watch the hand a lot closer. He’s a very skilful bowler. I think he bowled from lunch until tea and didn’t bowl a bad ball. I’d been on a trip to India with Mark so I’d seen what he could do. He’s a bigger turner of the ball than Rashid. Although they are both leg-spinners they are slightly different kind of bowlers. I think Mark, because he turns the ball a lot is more attacking and he tends to bowl his variations a little bit more. Rashid is a bit more patient and he tries to hit the areas more.

 

Does keeping improve your batting?

 

Certainly from a spin point of view I think you’ll find that wicket-keepers across the board generally pick bowlers better. Let’s face it you’d look a fool if the batsman can’t read it and you miss it too, it’s 4 byes!

 

It’s very exciting keeping to both of them. They are both young talents and I reckon they can go all the way. For me it’s exciting keeping to two young guys coming through like that, especially with the variation they’ve got. They’ve both got the googly, the flipper and Laws will tell you he’s got six other balls as well.

 

On a personal note was 2006 a disappointing season with the bat?

 

Yeah, it’s been my worst season so far. I’d set certain targets to reach and I think I broke my finger after the first derby game which put me out, but I was feeling in quite good touch going into that. That kind of put me on the back foot and then I had a few failures and the confidence wasn’t quite there. So it was very disappointing not to get the runs. I think I batted in 8 matches. After Manchester I got dropped after getting a pair against Lancashire. If you’re not producing the goods I think the other guy should be given the opportunity.

 

You seemed to get your form back in the 2^nd XI.

 

Yeah, by the time I got dropped I think I got just short of a hundred against Warwickshire, a few against Hampshire, but then I got a pair and was left out after that. I actually felt back in touch, like I was hitting the ball well which sounds strange after getting a pair. There was still a lot of the season left which was really disappointing for me as I felt that if I could have boosted on from that I could have changed the season completely for myself. When you don’t perform you can’t really expect to be in the side.

 

I suppose it’s harder when the team is struggling. You’re more likely to get dropped in that situation than if the team are winning.

 

Yeah definitely, when you’re playing in a team on a roll, doing really well they don’t tend to look to change things. Obviously when the team and management are under pressure they have to change things. They look at different areas and I think as a keeper I’d like to slot in at 6 or 7 and do a good job. I think the wicket-keeper should be scoring lots of runs and unfortunately I wasn’t doing that. I think I kept alright, my keeping was dead on. I just didn’t get the runs.

 

Did you enjoy the pinch-hitter role you had in some of the one day games last year?

 

Oh I loved it. When you’re opening the batting sometimes it’s very difficult when the balls moving around. Other times the hard ball coming off the deck is beautiful with a bit of pace. We changed the system quite a few times so it was hard to get settled. Against Derbyshire I got 50 off 14 balls which is the fastest fifty in any cricket. Chalky said to me ‘go out there and enjoy yourself and hit it, there’s no pressure’. Subconsciously you probably do play with a lot more freedom and it seemed to put me back in form. If that opportunity comes up again I’d put my hand up anytime to do that.

 

Is there anything in particular that you are working on over the winter?

 

I’m working with Kevin after looking at footage of myself last season. I’m just trying to get my head and foot across to the offside more so when the bowler delivers I’m lining up in a slightly straighter line.

 

It’s been a difficult winter for the club, but the positives are starting to come to the fore. You’ll have a new director of cricket and a new captain so it’s a chance for you to start again?

 

I think it is. There’s been loads of negative press, but if you sit down and look at the squad we’re looking quite strong again. I think last season people expected quite a lot of us and this year I think we might just go about our business nice and quietly and do quite well. I don’t think camaraderie has ever been a problem at Yorkshire since I’ve been there. The lads have always been a really strong unit. As professional cricketers we know what to do during the winter so not having a director of cricket isn’t the end of the world. All the help is there with Kevin Sharp and SO (Steve Oldham), they are all there to help. Whatever we need to do we can get sorted before the season. We’ll be ready for the first game and I’m sure the director of cricket will be too.

 

Does being a keeper require you to be a bit mad?

 

I think generally. I don’t look at myself as a bloody head case, but I think over the years if you look at wicket-keepers they generally are nuts. I tell you Simon Guy’s a bit more crazy than I am. Jack Russell – he’s not your normal bloke! If you look at the game you stand out in the field catching a bloody hard ball all day, diving all over the place and people only comment when you make a mistake. You’ve got to be a little…you know.

 

There are four or five spots for batsmen or bowlers, whereas a keeper just has one. They are not great odds.

 

I think I was ten-years-old when I took wicket-keeping up so it’s always been my job. The reason I love it is because you keep your energy running and are in the game every ball. Some of the bowlers come on, have their spell and drift off, but when you’re a wicket-keeper you’re totally involved. I think the game goes by a lot quicker for keepers, rather than sitting on the boundary all day.

 

Are you a chatterbox like Paul Nixon?

 

Nico never shuts up and there are a few guys like that. I wouldn’t say I’m a massive talker, but I don’t think I’m quiet. I’ll just say things I think are appropriate (laughs). I wouldn’t be over the top like Nico, but that’s his style.

 

You’ve got Simon Guy and Greg Wood at the club. Do you train together and get on well?

 

Obviously the competition there and it’s vital as if you didn’t have that you’d slack off. From a personal point of view myself and Simon get on really well. I don’t know Greg that well - I’ve played with him twice. We train together and especially now Blakes is not around the likes of Simon and myself will have to train well together. Unfortunately he’s injured at the moment so his pre-season isn’t great so I’ll probably have to work with one of the batters. It’s not the end of the world. I know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing it long enough.

 

I hope Simon gets back. He’s one hell of a guy who’s probably got one of the best attitudes I’ve seen in professional cricket, so I wish him well.

 

At Old Trafford you had some banter with Dominic Cork, what was that about?

 

Whenever Corky bowls he has run in with everybody on the county circuit. He’s always got something to say and every now and then you tell him what you think of him (laughs). That’s just part of his game, to get stuck into the lads. It lifts your concentration levels and your anger. You know you’ve got to be on the ball and I think it does drive you on, so I quite enjoy it when guys come at me like that.

 

How have you been spending the winter?

 

I’ve got a distribution business so I’ve been trying to build that up slowly. I do some trading on the stock exchange too so I’ve been studying how to do that and trying to make a few bucks – there are good days and bad days (laughs). I’ve got a company called Fitbag. I’ve got a couple of products, one of which is Recoverice which is a compression bandage for sporting injuries. I bring that across from South Africa and distribute it around the country. It’s been going alright. I’ve got four more products now and sell a lot of stuff online at www.fitbag.co.uk.

 

I don’t go back to South Africa. Myself and my wife Allison had a little daughter in December. Georgia was born on December 22^nd so we haven’t been away from home much. It’s great but I’m glad it’s not during the season – the bloody sleeping arrangements are terrible (laughs). You never get a decent night sleep, but it’s great and I’m loving it.

 

A couple of players have left and there’s doubt over Anthony McGrath, but as a player it must be exciting to have Younus Khan and Jacques Rudolph coming in?

 

Yeah as I said earlier, people are saying the squad is looking thinner and then all of a sudden with the new signings we’re looking a strong unit. Our bowling is very strong. We’re going to have Hoggy for a while, there’s Dizzy and Bresnan and Deon – that’s four top seamers – you can’t ask for much more than that. They you’ve got the quality of Younus Khan coming in and Jacques Rudolph’s a hell of a player too. They’re good signings.

 

I’m not sure what Mags position is. It’s sad to see players of that quality leaving the club. From my point of view I certainly hope he stays. He’s a great team player and one of the better players on the county scene. The players want him to stay and from a fans point of view I’m sure everyone does too.  


Our thanks to Gerard for his time.

If you have any comments on this interview please enter them in the thread below.

Next weeks player in the spotlight is ANDREW GALE. Please enter any questions HERE.

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