sport news England v New Zealand: Party in the stands at Headingley but a backdrop of ... trends now
For a moment, as a sun-baked Western Terrace rose to its feet and roared in approval at Stuart Broad's dismissal of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, it felt like any other Headingley Test.
Few crowds make more of such big moments and as the Western dwellers jumped, bounced and clapped in unison with Broad, the scoreboard read 62 for three, the dial struck a pre-lunch high of 28 degrees and the racism cloud that has hung over Yorkshire was briefly forgotten.
England's quest for a fourth straight Test win in Leeds and the backdrop to its hosting cannot be separated for long, however, and as the club's chairman Lord Patel spelt out on Thursday, this match — and therefore Yorkshire's future — was at stake until 10 weeks ago.
Stuart Broad's dismissal of Kane Williamson brought the Western Terrace to its feet
Few crowds make more of such big moments and the racism cloud over Yorkshire was briefly forgotten
'Walking in this morning it really resonated,' Patel said in an interview with the BBC's Test Match Special.
'Until I walked in and saw the ground it didn't register. Being totally honest, going back to November this seemed a very distant opportunity. It seemed a bit of a pipe dream.'
For it was only on the eve of the 2022 season that Yorkshire met the ECB's governance reform demands, vowed to tackle historic episodes of racism and showed a commitment to diversity and inclusion that allowed them to keep this Test match.
Without it, Patel suggested, the English game's most decorated county would have gone bust.
But Lord Patel spelt out this match — and Yorkshire's future — was at stake until 10 weeks ago
'In simple terms, yes. I think we would have,' Patel continued. They wanted absolute evidence that we had put things in place that we were going to change and move. We had to fight really hard to get it back.'
While
