Rudolph: Not so easy as 1-2-3

12 April 2009 | By James Coyne

Jacques Rudolph strikes out in his 121 for Yorkshire at the Brit Oval, one of five centuries last season

Finding the right combination for their batting colossuses will be key to Yorkshire’s LV= County Championship title hopes, according to star man Jacques Rudolph.

Rudolph, 27, the former South Africa Test batsman, has topped the White Rose run-charts for the last two seasons - mostly batting at his preferred number four spot.

But the prospect of Michael Vaughan’s return to county action means Yorkshire must strike the right balance in order to solve the top-order fragility that pervaded last season.

“We need the right people in the right places,” Rudolph told ecb.co.uk. “We’ve got to try to find the right combination because last year we chopped and changed a bit.

“I don't know where I’ll bat. I haven't sat down with Martyn (Moxon, director of cricket) yet. If the management feel they need more stability up front, I don’t mind facing the new ball.

“Michael will be number three, obviously, because he has aspirations to bat there for England. I can only imagine it’s fair to him to bat where he wants.”

Last season Yorkshire had to be bailed out by their lower-order. Deon Kruis and Matthew Hoggard hung on for 28 balls to save the match against Kent at Scarborough and in the final match at Hove, Adil Rashid and David Wainwright put on 140 for the ninth wicket to stave off relegation.

Not that Rudolph can be faulted - his 1,292 runs, including five centuries, stood out like a sore thumb.

There’s probably never been a better time to win the championship, as this year’s Division One winners will pocket £500,000 of prize money, compared to £100,000 last season. The players from the winning team will take home £350,000, and the county will invest the remaining £150,000.

A motivated Michael Vaughan can expect to slot in at number three for Yorkshire in championship cricket

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“I wasn't even aware that it had gone up,” said Rudolph. “That sounds good.

“The last two seasons we’ve played very good championship cricket for four months and not managed to sustain our performances.

“But the guys are in good shape this time around to do that.”

Rudolph has played 45 Tests and 46 one-day matches for South Africa, but he gave up playing for his country when he signed for Yorkshire in 2007 under the Kolpak ruling.

Does he miss the cut-and-thrust of the international game, especially with the Proteas enjoying so much success?

“No, not really. I've been following a lot of cricket over the winter. Watching England play West Indies, South Africa playing Australia. But I don’t miss it as this moment.

“I also played four games for Titans (in South Africa). Martin van Jaarsveld got injured so they just asked to replace him for four games.

“We moved towns, we’re trying to start a family, so we’ve moved back to Pretoria.”

Rudolph is contracted to Yorkshire until the end of the 2011 season, but midway through his career, he must still harbour international ambitions.

Five Test centuries, the pick of them a match-saving unbeaten 102 to save the first Test at Perth in 2005/06, illustrate Rudolph’s talent.

And with useful years at Yorkshire under his belt, he would add left-handed grace to the Proteas’ batting order. But he is committed to his county for the here and now.

“Of course I’d like to fulfill my contract here,” he says. “Yorkshire have been very good to me and I think I owe it to them.

“Let's see where we're going at the end of the summer.

“If it comes to an end I definitely would (want to play for South Africa again). I'm still 27 - if I can’t play in England then I'd love to go back and play in South Africa.”