Andrew Hodd believes Yorkshire’s wicketkeeping future is in safe hands.

The recently retired gloveman is backing Jonny Tattersall and Ben Birkhead, who turned 20 on Sunday, to continue their encouraging development and push each other hard for first-team cricket.

Tattersall, 23, is in pole position to start 2019 as the senior keeper after an impressive second half of the most recent summer across all forms.

Someone who wasn’t a recognised wicketkeeper prior to the most recent summer, the former England under 19 worked hard in the nets last winter and displaced Hodd in late May, first of all, in the Royal London one-day Cup.

He went on to play seven County Championship matches and the entire Vitality Blast campaign, scoring half-centuries in all three formats.

“Tatts has done really well,” said Hodd, who played in the Bradford League with New Farnley last season.

“His batting has been the thing that I’ve noticed more than anything. He has really shone through with some important runs down the order.

“But he’s also done really well with the gloves and hasn’t put a foot wrong really.

“Yorkshire have got a good player there.

“No one’s born a natural anything. It takes work. He’s only been keeping for a year full-time, and he looks very good.

“Every ball you catch, you get that much better. Another winter, another summer, and he will get better and better.”

Instead of looking elsewhere for Hodd’s replacement on the staff, Andrew Gale and Martyn Moxon are throwing their backing behind Birkhead, who played 35 matches for Yorkshire’s Academy and second team in 2018.

Described as “a bit of a dasher with the bat” by second-team coach and Academy director Ian Dews, the Halifax-born teenager scored 856 runs and claimed 46 dismissals for both teams.

He batted in the middle order for the Academy, who he captained, and has opened for the seconds.

His best of 112 came in a second-team three-day draw against Somerset at Taunton in late August when he opened the batting with Jeet Raval.

It was an innings Hodd watched before dashing back up to Leeds to play in the Championship match against Somerset at Emerald Headingley following a late back spasm suffered by Tattersall.

“I think Ben’s a very good player and will be one to watch,” added Hodd.

“He’s a happy go lucky kind of guy, but he’s got good talent with the bat and the gloves.

“He just needs to get a run of games.

“He’s not quite settled in the twos yet in terms of his batting role. He’s opening one game and not keeping or he’s keeping and batting down the order.

“I guess he’s at that age where now it might be time to say ‘Here’s a run of games batting five and keeping in the seconds, go and make it your own’.

“I think he would make a success of it because he’s a very good player who has the ability to rise to any challenge.”

Hodd, meanwhile, has moved back down to live in his home county Sussex, where he will work as an electrician. He is also hoping his close relationship with Jason Gillespie will enable him to stay involved in the game with some coaching work at Hove.