Tea break as famous Yorkshire names mark start of a partnership at Lord’s

Yorkshire Tea is now the “official brew” of the England cricket team following the signing of a three-year deal with the England Cricket Board ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.

The deal will see the profile of one of Yorkshire’s best-known brand names soar with a series of events throughout the summer.

Vaughan – who played for Yorkshire for 15 years and captained England to their legendary Ashes victory in 2005 – said tea and cricket offer the quintessentially English mix.

“It’s quite funny, because I’ve been on the Strictly [Come Dancing] tour, and I’m dancing in and around Russians and Lithuanians,” he said. “I had breakfast with them, and I asked them if they know what cricket is.

“And they said ‘yeah – you all drink tea at cricket don’t you?’

“That’s exactly what cricket is for people around the world – they don’t know the rules, but they know that with cricket is tea.

“So I think this is wonderful. I’m amazed it hasn’t happened before. As a Yorkshireman [to see] Yorkshire Tea driving the England team forward – what more could you want?”

England will go into this summer’s series as hot favourites, and Vaughan is confident they will retain the trophy against an Australian side in a state of flux.

“England are in a great position,” he said. “They have got so much depth.

“They’re playing an Australian side that are not the team that they were. They’re vulnerable, they’ve got a lot of inexperience.

“With home conditions I don’t see anything but an England victory this summer.”

With the return series in Australia kicking off later this year, England’s players are chasing back-to-back victories.

“England have to make the most of this opportunity,” Vaughan said.

“If I was an England player now, I’d be sat at home looking at the two Ashes tournaments thinking ‘I want to be a part of that, I want to be playing against this Australian team’.

He picks out Tim Bresnan, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow as the Yorkshiremen to watch.

“It’s probably those three that will really push for the places,” he said. “Whether all three play in the same team, we’ll have to wait and see – but that would be nice!”