Why is it that we rightly expect youthful overseas cricketers who come to these shores to be mature young men capable of looking after themselves while at the same time we handle our own budding stars with kid gloves?

Yorkshire's new overseas signing, Yuvraj Singh, is only 21 but he looks well able to take care of himself in an unfamiliar environment and his main reason for becoming involved in county cricket is to gain the experience which will improve his game and mould him into a Test cricketer for India.

The fact that Sachin Tendulkar encouraged him to sign up for Yorkshire and told him from personal experience that he would be well looked after obviously gave his confidence a massive boost, but even without support from India's prince of cricket Yuvraj seems the type who can fend for himself.

Yorkshire, too, are clearly of that opinion because when he was introduced to the media upon signing up a fortnight ago, director of cricket Geoff Cope said Yuvraj came with a solid reputation.

Cope had been told by India's coach John Wright that the left-hander was hungry for cricket and wanted to make his Test debut after playing in 73 one-day internationals.

The determination of the player and the expectation of those who employ him is all as it should be, yet neither England, nor the counties, seem to treat their own young talent in a similar way.

Take Lancashire's fast bowling prospect, James Anderson, for instance.

He's only a few months younger than Yuvraj and after thrusting himself forward in England's one-day matches during the winter he made his Test debut at Lord's against Zimbabwe last week and hit the headlines by taking 5-73.

But no sooner was the match over than England's chairman of selectors, David Graveney, was reminding everyone that Anderson was still not quite 21, that he had to be looked after very carefully and that there would be bad days ahead as well as good.

It's hardly surprising that our own young players seem to take so much longer to develop than those from elsewhere when a nursemaid appears to be constantly at their side.

I am sure that this cotton-wool approach, which has been started up by the England management, is now affecting our players at county level because clubs are fearful of doing anything which may be frowned upon by Duncan Fletcher, Graveney and Co.

The question must be asked whether Anthony McGrath would have stood down from Yorkshire's vital Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy tie at Worcester on Wednesday if he had not suddenly become an England player?

On the eve of the game, McGrath was feeling much improved after suffering a side strain on his Test debut at Lord's but after doing some light training he said he could feel that the injury had not quite cleared up.

McGrath and Yorkshire physiotherapist Scott McAllister both agreed shortly before the toss that it would be better for McGrath to stand down so that he would not risk aggravating the injury in the field if Worcestershire batted first - which they did - and then be unable to go to the crease himself.

I am convinced that McGrath would never for a moment have hesitated about captaining Yorkshire in such a big match if England had not been so closely involved in monitoring his progress.

It is true that England said they had no objection to McGrath playing solely as a batsman but I still believe he stood down because of a safety first policy which would not have applied in different circumstances.

Headingley headache

Yorkshire fans who like watching their Championship cricket at Headingley should make the most of the current match against Durham because they won't be able to see another game at county headquarters until September 3.

Little wonder the first class game is struggling to make a crust with such ludicrous planning as this going on and little wonder, either, that Yorkshire members are disgruntled by the fixture list.

They should be pointing an accusing finger at the England and Wales Cricket Board for being partly responsible for this farce in that it is they who have insisted that the zonal games in the new Twenty20 Cup competition should be played during a fortnight in June to the virtual exclusion of everything else.

Yorkshire members attempted during the winter to bring some midsummer Championship cricket to Headingley by requesting that the home game with Derbyshire - scheduled to begin on May 9 - should be played at Derby with the return fixture starting on July 2 being switched to Leeds.

But that idea was rejected by Yorkshire's director of cricket Geoff Cope because England play Zimbabwe at Headingley on July 1 and he did not want preparations for a county match to get in the way of the one-day international game.

Another obstacle to midsummer Championship cricket at Headingley came with the decision to bring forward the Scarborough Cricket Festival to August 10-17 in order to avoid a clash in early September with the Walker Cup which is being held at nearby Ganton Golf Club on September 5-6.

This means the fixture with Worcestershire from August 13-16 will be played at North Marine Road only three weeks after the ground has also staged Yorkshire's match with Hampshire.

Cricket at Scarborough, of course, is delightful, but two Championship matches at the height of the holiday season will make it difficult and costly for West Yorkshire fans to follow the games at first hand.

The journey by road from Leeds to the seaside resort is arduous at the best of times and it will be an even bigger headache with the highway crammed with the bucket and spade brigade.

Fine weather should result in the Scarborough club rubbing their hands in glee but Championship cricket at Headingley this season seems set to be a financial flop - just at a time when Yorkshire need hard cash like never before.

The gate for the first day of the curtain-raiser against Northamptonshire exceeded expectations but then the rain and cold set in and the Derbyshire and Glamorgan games were poorly attended for obvious reasons.

Yorkshire will be praying for an Indian summer so that the September fixtures against Somerset and Gloucestershire at Headingley will be played out in perfect weather.

But for the crowds to flock in they must be in with a shout of gaining promotion to the First Division - and they must start performing much better than they are currently for that to happen.

Updated: 11:10 Saturday, May 31, 2003