Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale is forgoing the sunshine of Australia this winter to concentrate on preparing for life after cricket.

The left-handed batsman is taking a more hands on role in the coaching business he is involved with, the Pro Coach Cricket Academy.

Gale travelled to Melbourne last winter to play grade cricket at the weekend with the Dandenong club as well as to gain more experience in a field he is keen to move into once he hangs up his bat.

“I went to a club last winter, one which you could probably class as a developing club,” he said.

“I helped out with the coaching there. They had a coach there, but it was his first ever season of coaching a team. He asked me for a lot of advice on stuff they could do training wise. I helped him run the sessions as well.

“I enjoyed it. I learnt a little bit about my style of coaching and what I want to be as a coach. It was good from that perspective.

“I’d probably say my coaching style is quite similar to my captaincy. I’m quite an honest sort of bloke, quite firm but fair.

“This year, it’s a good opportunity for me to do something in the winter as opposed to going away and playing like I did last year.

“The personal development of professional players is changing now. Lads are thinking about life after cricket a lot more, whether that be through work experience in businesses or getting qualifications.

“There’s a big push on that from the Professional Cricketers’ Association and the counties at the minute.

“Joe Sayers went on to banking in London, for example, and somebody like Gary Keedy went and did physiotherapy, and he’s now at Notts doing that job.”

Gale says “coaching styles have changed a heck of a lot since the advent of Twenty20” having asked Australian superstar Aaron Finch to run a T20 skills workshop for youngsters midway through this summer.

“You can see ten-year-olds playing reverse sweeps now, and it’s brilliant to watch,” he added. “If I got out playing a reverse sweep when I was ten or 12-years-old, that was it. I wouldn’t have been picked for two years! But we’re encouraging that now.

“I encourage lads to go and play their shots from a very young age because you can work on a defence, but it’s very difficult to teach them how to attack later on.”

Gale will be involved in running sessions and courses for all ages and standards across the White Rose county this winter. For details, visit www.procricketcoachingacademy.com