Yorkshire will name their new head coach on Monday.
Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie announced in August that he would stand down at the end of 2016 season. The 41-year-old enjoyed five successful seasons at Headingley, but decided that he wanted to spend more time with his family in Australia.
The club is believed to have received around 20 applicants for the post, including seven-year-old Isaac Zabrocky.
The early favourite for the role was England assistant coach Paul Farbrace, but he recently ruled himself out of contention.
Thus, the most likely men to get the role are Richard Dawson and Chris Silverwood, the ex-Yorkshire and England pair.
Dawson, 36, was appointed head coach of Gloucestershire in 2015, and was the man behind their victorious 2015 Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
The 41-year-old Silverwood led Essex to promotion from Division Two in 2016, and spent thirteen years of his playing career at Headingley.
The county’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, is confident that the right decision has been made.
“I think the appointment we’re making is 100 per cent right for the club,” he told The Yorkshire Evening Post.
“It’s the right appointment for both the short-term and the long-term. There are two main aspects to the job: managing the current crop of senior players, and then overseeing the transition to when those senior players retire, and making sure that we’ve got good continuity.
“It’s been a challenging decision, and we’ve certainly given it a lot of thought.
Gillespie will undoubtedly prove to be a hard man to replace. In his five years at the county, the White Rose won the County Championship twice, and also finished second and third.
Furthermore, the Australian developed a close relationship with club captain Andrew Gale, and created a togetherness in the dressing room that is almost unparalleled in county cricket.
Monday morning’s announcement will be viewed with a great deal of interest by the cricketing public: if it is not the right man, the Yorkshire hegemony over the Championship in recent years could be coming to an end.
