Gough: I always wanted to be back at Yorkshire

14 April 2012

The new captain of Yorkshire gazed out at his kingdom, did his best to convince himself that he would not rather be in Antigua and talked of leading the best team in the country'.

Darren Gough is back home and revelling in the last great challenge of his career.

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Sitting pretty: Darren Gough is delighted to be playing again at Headingley after his shambolic on-off England recall for the World Cup

Sitting pretty: Darren Gough is delighted to be playing again at Headingley after his shambolic on-off England recall for the World Cup

Headingley in April is a long way from the Caribbean but the sun shone on one of cricket's true characters as he talked about the shambles of his on-off England recall for the World Cup, his decision to follow his heart when Yorkshire came calling and his reservations about his county's other big winter signing.

Yorkshire, lacking in sangfroid at the best of times, will rarely see a dull moment with Gough in charge this season.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd come back here the day I walked out of the door," said Gough who, at 36, will attempt to nurse his battle weary body through the demands of a full domestic season.

"But lots of things have changed. Yorkshire is now run by business people who know their cricket. People who want to spend money. Colin Graves (the chairman) was a huge influence on me coming back and so was Geoffrey Boycott.

"I spoke to him a lot of times during the winter and him being more involved in the cricket side was a big factor."

It could have all been so different. It was not until Gough knew he would not, after all, be enjoying a Caribbean swansong to his international career that he finally decided to leave Essex after three happy years.

The bottom line was that he could not resist returning to a Yorkshire side who, in typically dramatic style, had been jilted at the altar by Chris Adams, the Headingley captain who never was.

"Essex wanted me to stay but they were brilliant about it," said Gough. "They wished me all the best and there were no hard feelings. It was great to be at a club where there was no moaning but, in my heart, as soon as Yorkshire approached me I knew I wanted to come back.

"I didn't make my mind up until I was convinced it was the best thing to do. I'm confident about the move and I'm glad I've done it."

We met in Headingley's new pavilion on the day England came so close to igniting their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka without the man who led their bowling attack for so long and who is adamant that he was told, when England were at their nadir in Australia, that he was going to the West Indies.

"I find the whole business quite comical now," said Gough. "David Graveney denied telling me I was going but, as far as I'm concerned, I know exactly what was said and what happened.

"But I've forgotten about it now. I'm here at Yorkshire and I want to enjoy myself and get on with my life. I've moved on.

"I just wish the England lads all the best and I still think they could win this World Cup. I know they can't slip up anymore but the talent is there to start winning."

Yorkshire have invested a sixfigure salary in a talent that still burns bright. They know that, in welcoming back one of their favourite sons, they are getting a man who is not afraid to voice his opinion, even if the message is off line.

Take, for instance, Gough's view on the controversial recruitment of Jacques Rudolph, a man who was playing Test cricket for South Africa less than a year ago but who can now stroll in to Yorkshire as a non-overseas player because of the Kolpak ruling.

"That signing was done before I got here," said Gough.

"People know that I would prefer to look after English players and back our game. I'm a proud Englishman and I've spoken at PCA events about this subject.

"But I'm here now as captain and I can't bear any grudges against Rudolph. He's a great player to have in any side. My job is to captain the players I've got and that's what I'll do. The rules are the rules so he can come and play.

"He's committed himself to England for three years and for those three years he'll be with Yorkshire scoring thousands of runs."

Hang on a minute. Didn't Gough the proud Englishman say publicly that he would tell England coach Duncan Fletcher to f*** off should he come calling for Yorkshire players, comments that were revealed in Sports Agenda?

"It was a joke," insisted Gough about comments that came in the aftermath of his World Cup rejection by England.

"It was a brilliant one-liner that brought the house down. I said a lot of positive things, too. I had a good laugh with Matthew Hoggard about this.

"There is no way I would stand in the way of a Yorkshireman playing for England. There were ECB people at the function where I said it and I'm not in any trouble with them."

So, what can we expect from Gough the captain? If his all-action playing style is anything to go by, we can surely expect an attacking leader?

"I've always admired Nasser Hussain's style of captaincy," said Gough. "Tactically, he was the best I've played under.

"Ideally, I'd like to be a cross between him and Michael Vaughan but I'm a different sort of character to both of them. I've not done it full-time before but I would think I'll be pretty positive."

Yorkshire will clearly be as fascinating to watch as ever — perhaps not simply this time because they are usually an accident waiting to happen.

"Yorkshire are here to breed good cricketers now," added Gough.

"It was at a standstill for a few years but we need to achieve a togetherness. It's not about winning this year — it's about winning for the next 10 years."

Now that really would be an achievement for the Dazzler.

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