Cricket

Yorkshire County Cricket Club has appointed Anthony McGrath as their new men's head coach on a five-year deal. McGrath, a former England all-rounder and Yorkshire academy graduate, returns to his home county after a successful stint as director of cricket at Essex.McGrath's coaching career began at Yorkshire following his retirement in 2013. He then moved to Essex in 2014 as assistant coach to Chris Silverwood. Under McGrath's guidance, Essex earned promotion to Division One in 2016 and won the County Championship title the following year.When Silverwood left to become England head coach, McGrath was promoted to head coach. He led Essex to a Championship and T20 Blast double in 2019, followed by the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020. In the 2023 season, Essex finished second in Division One and were beaten finalists in the Blast.McGrath inherits a Yorkshire team that has returned to Division One after relegation in 2022. The club was also docked 48 points in the 2023 season for its handling of the racism scandal involving former player Azeem Rafiq.McGrath's remit will be to improve the performance and management of the men's first team. He will officially start his role on November 1."It is a great honor to be appointed Head Coach of Yorkshire Cricket's Men's team," McGrath said. "I know the history of this great club and the passion of the members and supporters, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve."Essex captain Tom Westley praised McGrath as "one of the most influential figures I have come across during my career."Yorkshire's interim CEO, Sanjay Patel, said: "We're delighted to appoint Anthony as Head Coach. During the past nine years with Essex, Anthony has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in English cricket."

Anthony McGrath has been appointed as Essex's new Director of Cricket, a newly created role that will oversee all aspects of the club's professional cricket operations. McGrath, who has been the men's head coach since 2018, will continue in that role while also taking on the broader responsibilities of the Director of Cricket position.The appointment is part of a management restructure at Essex following the resignation of chief executive John Stephenson earlier this month. McGrath's promotion follows that of Dan Feist, who has been promoted from operations manager to general manager.As Director of Cricket, McGrath will be responsible for developing and implementing the club's cricket strategy across all levels, including men's, women's, Academy, and Player Pathway. He will also work closely with the club's new women's head coach, who is yet to be appointed.Essex is one of the eight inaugural Tier 1 teams in the new women's competition that will launch in 2025. McGrath's appointment as Director of Cricket will ensure that the club has a clear and consistent approach to cricket across all its representative teams.McGrath has been a key figure in Essex's recent success, helping the club win the County Championship and Vitality Blast double in 2019, as well as the Bob Willis Cup in 2020. He has also been instrumental in the development of young players such as Dan Lawrence and Matt Critchley.McGrath said he was "honoured" to take up the new role. "The club gave me the chance to become a Head Coach for the first time in 2018 and the backing I've received has been fundamental to our success," he said. "I've got a trusted network of exceptional coaches, who always go above and beyond to deliver elite performance. This is now an opportunity for us to shape the strategic vision of cricket played by men, women, boys and girls in the county."Essex Chair, Anu Mohindru, said the club was "delighted" to appoint McGrath to the new role. "We have achieved sustained success during his tenure as Head Coach, including the memorable and as yet unmatched achievement of winning the Championship and the T20 in the same season in 2019," she said. "This will allow the Club to create a clear identity and playing style across all our representative teams, and I look forward to seeing every one of those teams continue to flourish under his expanded leadership."