THERE is an old, unattributed saying in cricket that when Yorkshire are strong, England are strong.

If it is true then it can only augur well for the visitors when the latest instalment of the Ashes gets under way in Brisbane tomorrow morning.

Among Andy Flower's 17-man squad who have travelled to Australia for the five-Test series (the tour also includes five one-day internationals and three T20 games) are three players from the White Rose county, with another, Tim Bresnan, also with the group but currently unavailable as he recovers from a back injury. It is a situation that fills Stewart Regan with pride.

Prior to taking up his position as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, Regan spent four years in a similar role for the Yorkshire County Cricket Club. It was on his watch that the long-term futures of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance were all secured, the three progressing in the subsequent years from youthful aspirants on the brink of the county side to international-class cricketers with a chance of featuring in the sport's fieriest contest.

Root is the most high-profile of the three and the one virtually guaranteed to feature in the First Test. His was an eventful Ashes summer in England, the 22 year-old the innocent victim of a hook of a different sort from David Warner, the Australian batsman, before being given the honour of opening the batting alongside England captain Alastair Cook. Root is expected to return to bat at No.6 in this series, a berth, ironically, also coveted by both Bairstow and Ballance. Regan recalls a young talent whose potential was clear from an early age.

"Joe played his cricket at Sheffield Collegiate which was Michael Vaugan's club and was a similar type, an opening batsman, a really talented cricketer with all the shots," he said. "He could play every single stroke and all from a really young age. When I was there he was about 15 or 16 years old but he looked even younger - much as he still does now.But when you got him on a cricket field he was miraculous. He was the one out of all the young players that I thought was destined for the very top. He was highly thought of by all of the coaches, including Martyn Moxon who is now the director of Pro Cricket at Yorkshire, and also Kevin Sharp who was his batting coach. The feeling was it was only a matter of time before he made it all the way and that's proved to the case."

Bairstow may yet join him at the crease in Brisbane. The 24-year-old batted at No.6 in the first four Tests against Australia in the summer but, having lost that slot to close friend Root, may now bat a place further down the order and also keep wicket with Matt Prior, the England regular behind the stumps, still struggling with a calf injury at the time of going to press. Bairstow endured personal tragedy at a young age but recovered thanks to the support of Geoffrey Boycott, the former England and Yorkshire batsman, to emerge as an all-round athlete who could have made a career in a number of sports.

"Jonathan's dad, David Bairstow, was a Yorkshire cricketer who tragically took his own life and Geoffrey took the family under his wing, in particular Jonathan," added Regan. "Jonathan went to public school at St Peter's in York which was a very good school for cricket and rugby, and he excelled at all sports. He was playing rugby, hockey and cricket for Yorkshire and ultimately he had to choose. When I was at the cricket club there was some debate about whether we would award him his first contract, and on Geoffrey's recommendation we decided to do that. Jonathan's never looked back since."

Ballance, uncapped at Test level, is unlikely to be involved in Brisbane but is another young player highly thought of at both county and international level. Zimbabwean-born and raised, Regan remembers helping the then teenage talent settle at Yorkshire after agreeing academy terms with the club in 2007.

"Gary's uncle was the coach at Derbyshire cricket club and was a friend of Geoffrey Boycott's," he added. "Gary's family had gone through a really tough time in Zimbabwe with the troubles there so Gary had been sent to England to go to public school at Harrow. He was a really talented player who was first signed by Derbyshire.

"Geoffrey went to have a look at him and immediately saw the potential in him. He felt he wasn't going to get the best chance at Derbyshire and so wanted us to sign him. We brought him into our academy and I personally got him a place at Leeds Met University as he was a lad who was bright and wanted to do a sports science degree.

"He impressed us quickly and it wasn't long before we offered him his first pro contract. It's nice to see the three of them out in Australia, representing England, and with a chance of playing in the Ashes. I hope they all go on to make an impact at some point in the series."