Off-spinner Richard Dawson gets an early chance to press his claims for first team recognition by being included in Yorkshire's party of 16 for their pre-season tour of South Africa which begins on March 16 and ends on April 3.

Dawson, 20, is in his final year at Exeter University and will be free to play for Yorkshire on a regular basis from the middle of the summer.

He is the only one in the squad who has not yet featured in a first class match for Yorkshire and his inclusion on the tour puts added pressure on the two other front-line spinners, James Middlebrook and Ian Fisher.

Middlebrook only secured a fresh contract after grabbing ten wickets against Hampshire in Yorkshire's last match of the season, and he needs to find good form consistently to reduce the threat posed by Dawson.

Yorkshire plan to rest the four players who have just gone out to Sri Lanka with England, but Matthew Hoggard's situation may be reviewed if he doesn't see much action over the next few weeks.

Announcing the squad for the tour to Pretoria and Cape Town, skipper David Byas said: "Everyone on the tour will be aware that first team places are up for grabs if they do well.

"There are very few players in the party who can feel they are an automatic choice and the coming season will be a big one for several of them, including some of the more senior members."

Byas's comments apply to no-one more than left-arm fast bowler Paul Hutchison who must prove his fitness and stamina after staying fit for only a handful of matches over the past two years. At his best, Hutchison is one of the most destructive bowlers in Yorkshire's armoury but with money tight he needs to be performing regularly to feel secure.

The Pudsey St Lawrence swing bowler has had to suffer all manner of misfortunes, the latest being the recent death of his mother which prevented him from taking up an engagement in Australia earlier this month, but he leaves shortly for a spell of club cricket in South Africa.

Matthew Wood certainly needs to make an impact if he is to enjoy a successful career with Yorkshire and even though Anthony McGrath now has plenty of experience and obvious class he must start scoring regular runs to make a real name for himself.

South African born Michael Lumb, son of former Yorkshire opener Richard, is now eligible for Championship cricket and the strongly built left-hander has already provided a taste of what he can do by weighing in with 66 not out on his first team debut against Zimbabwe last season. A good tour will greatly enhance his chances of an early run in senior side.

Gary Fellows, Vic Craven and Simon Widdup have all had their moments but all three need to do something special on the pre-season tour to convince Yorkshire that they are regular first team material.

The tour party is: David Byas (captain), Anthony McGrath, Simon Widdup, Vic Craven, Gavin Hamilton, Matthew Wood, Michael Lumb, Gary Fellows, Richard Blakey, Simon Guy, James Middlebrook, Ian Fisher, James Dawson, Chris Silverwood, Paul Hutchison, Ryan Sidebottom.