Private jet set for Yorkshire trio

06 May 2015 11:17

County champions Yorkshire have chartered a private jet to fly three of their players back to Headingley after international duty in order to boost their depleted squad.

The Tykes have done without six front-line players so far this season owing to Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow, Adam Lyth, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Joe Root being with England's Test side in the West Indies.

Ballance and Root were the only ones to play a minute of the three-match series and are being rested by England this weekend, but Bairstow, Rashid and Tim Bresnan are in line to face Ireland in a one-day international in Dublin on Friday.

With Lyth and Plunkett back in their ranks, Yorkshire are keen to have as strong a side as possible to face Hampshire on Sunday and have arranged for their trio of players to travel separately to the rest of the England squad.

Hampshire's James Vince will also travel to Leeds with the group.

Yorkshire chief executive Mark Arthur said: "It is unprecedented times. We have had six players away for three Championship matches and then England come back from the Caribbean and have arranged a one-day game in Ireland where we have three of our players called up for this one-off game.

"If we would have stuck to the scheduled flights they would have returned to Birmingham on Saturday afternoon and in our opinion that is no way to prepare for a very important LV= County Championship (match) on Sunday at Headingley.

"Martyn Moxon (director of cricket), in particular, was very upset how long it would take these guys to get back. The timing is difficult for all parties concerned with this one-off match taking place in Ireland.

"We fully understand the difficulties the ECB face and they fully support this. They have made allowances for the lads to travel back separately."

Source: PA