As if losing half their team to England was not enough, Yorkshire are bracing themselves for an even bigger blow after Jason Gillespie emerged as hot favourite to succeed Peter Moores as head coach of the national side, with a reluctant acceptance in the Yorkshire dressing room that the 40-year-old Australian would be a “perfect fit” for the job.
Gillespie, who masterminded Yorkshire's transformation from a Second Division side to County Champions in the space of three seasons, is expected to be the first-choice target for his old boss, former Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves, who starts work as England and Wales Cricket Board chairman this week alongside new director of cricket Andrew Strauss.
Gillespie's departure from Headingley would have a seismic impact on Yorkshire, but having enjoyed such success under his leadership, losing only three out of 51 Championship matches since he took charge, their players accept that he would be the right man for England.
Jack Brooks, the fast bowler who has seen his career move to a new level in his two seasons working under Gillespie, said he has all the qualities to succeed at international level. “We don't want to see all of our hierarchy go off to be in charge of England and it will be sad if we lose him but he would be perfectly suited to international cricket,” Brooks said.
“He gets the best out of very talented players. He's been perfect for us, changing round the fortunes of our club, and the qualities he has as a coach can work with international players, perhaps even more so.
“Having come from an Australia team that was the best in the world for so long, all he knows is winning and he brings a winning work ethic.”
Gillespie showed a no- nonsense attitude to discipline when he dropped Liam Plunkett from Yorkshire's current Championship match against Hampshire after the fast bowler, one of the half-dozen Yorkshire players England picked for the drawn Test series against West Indies, missed a training session and photo-call on Saturday.
But Brooks, who was speaking at a launch for the NatWest Blast T20 season, which begins on Friday, said that Gillespie's steely side is concealed behind an easy-going confidence and trust in his players. “He is very relaxed, very laid back,” Brooks added. “His emotions don't change during a game whether we are doing really well or really badly.
“He puts a big onus on flair and expressing yourself and entertaining the crowds and, even if you are on a bad trot, he will still tell you to go out there and express yourself. If it goes wrong, he'll just say 'so what, you'll get another go soon'.
“As long as you train hard and prepare properly and get your processes right, he will back you to the hilt.”
Brooks, a late starter in professional cricket - he was 25 before he made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire - joined Yorkshire in 2013, taking 37 first-class wickets in his debut season and almost doubling his tally last year when he was leading wicket-taker in the title-winning side with 68 successes.
Talking again of Gillespie, he added: “He is a bowler, he knows how bowlers work, he knows when you need an arm round the shoulders or a kick up the backside. My game has gone up so much since I joined Yorkshire.
“If you can get people in a happy place, if they are relaxed when they take the field, they are capable of playing to their full potential. You don't want to be stressed or tense or worried about what you are going to do. If you are enjoying your cricket or enjoying your sport, you are probably going to do pretty well at it.
“It can work with international players even more so. If you look at the current England side, they are a very talented and exciting group of players. You just need to get them playing with a bit more freedom and enjoyment.”
Paul Farbrace, who worked with Gillespie at Headingley and coached Sri Lanka to Twenty20 World Cup success last year, has been placed in temporary charge of the England side for the New Zealand series that begins next week, but Graves, who hired Gillespie as Yorkshire's first-team coach in November 2011, will want a permanent appointment in time for the Ashes.
Were it to be Gillespie, who recently turned down the chance to return to his homeland to coach South Australia, he would come up against his great friend and former team-mate Darren Lehmann, who coaches Australia.
Gillespie, who won 71 Test caps in a 10-year international career, has made no secret of his desire to break into international coaching and it is thought he would find it difficult to turn down the England job, although Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon said there had been “no contact” from the ECB.
Gillespie in numbers:
*Guided Yorkshire to eight wins from 16 matches in last season’s title triumph
*Yorkshire lost just one county game last season, against Middlesex
*Has coached Yorkshire for 51 Championship matches, losing just three times – The Independent