Angry Boycott slams Adams's 'lack of moral fibre'

Chris Adams: not in Geoff Boycott's good books © Getty Images

An angry Geoff Boycott has slammed Chris Adams' decision to turn his back on Yorkshire and return to Sussex less than a fortnight after agreeing to move to Headingley.

Adams made the announcement on Tuesday - although he had held a press conference at Yorkshire last week where he spoke of his plans to take over as captain and director of cricket., he never signed a contract.

"The club has bent over backwards for him," Boycott, a member of Yorkshire's management board, wrote in The Daily Telegraph. "We gave him a four-year contract and everything he wanted. But he has turned his back on us. We shook hands on the deal, he met the Yorkshire press a week ago, and he met the players yesterday. He told them his vision for the future of Yorkshire cricket but within 24 hours he has done a runner.

"It shows a complete lack of moral fibre. He has had an input on the overseas bowler we are looking for, in fact, he has had an input on everything. We have wasted two months on him and now he's left us in limbo."

The consensus in the media is that financial reasons led to Adams' decision. While he wanted to establish a strong behind-the-scenes structure, Yorkshire are not cash rich, all the more so after the costs of their recent purchase of Headingley are taken into account.

The move not only leaves the county without a captain, but they still have to decide what to do with David Byas, who was effectively ousted as director of cricket to make way for Adams. He has been offered another role as director of cricket development but has yet to agree to take that up.