Former director of cricket Martyn Moxon is back involved at Yorkshire, where Anthony McGrath has joined from Essex as head coach on a five-year deal.

Moxon was one of 16 members of Yorkshire staff summarily sacked at the height of the racism scandal in late 2021 for signing a letter to the board that claimed Azeem Rafiq was on a “one-man mission to bring down the club”. Yorkshire later admitted that the sackings were procedurally unfair and reached settlements with those dismissed, including Moxon, who had been signed off unwell at the time.

Moxon has now become the second of the 16 to return to the club, rejoining in an unpaid advisory role. In August, former bowling coach Richard Pyrah was brought back in charge of the club’s women’s team in Tier 2 of the new domestic structure. Moxon, unlike Pyrah, was not charged in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s disciplinary hearing into Yorkshire last year.

Moxon’s role is likely to be low-key, scouting and advising on players for the first team in the background, but continues a softening of the club’s stance on those dismissed. He has joined an advisory panel that has featured former players Ashley Metcalfe, Gavin Hamilton and Michael Vaughan this year, but is likely to see if its influence is reduced now McGrath has been installed as head coach and Hamilton as general manager.

Hamilton’s role is organisational across the men’s and women’s set-up, leaving McGrath to head up all activities for the men’s first team, who returned to Division One of the Championship next summer for the first time since 2022. He replaces Otis Gibson as Yorkshire head coach, whose departure was confirmed earlier this summer, before a resurgent young team secured promotion.

McGrath was part of the outstanding Yorkshire squad that won the County Championship in 2001, and won four Test caps two years later.

McGrath, 49, departs Essex after nine years, having ascended from assistant coach to winning the County Championship, Bob Willis Trophy and Vitality Blast as head coach, before becoming director of cricket with responsibility for Essex’s men’s and women’s programmes this summer. Essex, who have consistently been in the upper reaches of Division One in recent years, find themselves looking for a figurehead.

“It is a great honour to be appointed head coach of Yorkshire Cricket’s men’s team, and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead,” said McGrath.

“I know the history of this great club and the passion of the members and supporters, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

“It was an extremely tough decision to leave Essex, and it’s one that I have taken a great deal of time to think about.

“It will be difficult to leave Essex after these incredible years, and I would like to thank everyone involved with the club for the opportunity to be part of Essex Cricket’s history. The club is well positioned to keep moving forward in the years to come.

“While I obviously spent all of my playing career at Yorkshire, Essex has become a second home to me, and I’d like to thank everyone for the warmth of their support over the last nine seasons.”