Anthony McGrath column

It was good to get the whites back on for the match against Somerset, even if the result did not go our way, because it has been a really frustrating two months with my sciatica.

The defeat was certainly very disappointing down at Taunton though and I think it is fair to say we have not had the best start to this season.

That said, we are a young team and after the coming week’s trip to Sussex, we have a clean slate with the start of the Twenty20.

Our objective this year is to reach finals day for the first time, because the competition has been a funny one for us since it started in 2003.

It is fast and frenetic and although we have made the last eight on a few occasions, we have not quite been able to make it through to the showpiece event.

I think if we play as well as we can, then we have a good chance this year.

All the players have to fill out a form for TV ahead of the competition but I was not around when they were delivered.

Some of the other lads filled it in for me, so hopefully they have not stitched me up too much. It will be interesting to see what my favourite song is – probably something from Take That!

Away from the Twenty20 and it was great to see Richard Kettleborough get promoted to the ICC’s elite panel of umpires.

I have known him for a long time and I think I might be the only player left at Headingley who played with him when he was at Yorkshire.

I think he has been fantastic since he went into umpiring. He is authoritative, without being over the top, and I think he will do really well.

We get to know the umpires well over the course of the season and that is a good thing for cricket. I think it means there is more respect for them than in other sports, which can only be a good thing.