Yorkshire have not re-engaged 31-year-old Dewsbury-born wicketkeeper Ismail Dawood, who joined them in the middle of the 2004 season, and there is no new contract for former Nottinghamshire paceman, David Lucas.

Director of Cricket, David Byas, also confirmed that Australian all-rounder, Ian Harvey, will not be with Yorkshire next summer, and he is now searching for an overseas fast bowler and a wicketkeeper-batsman.

Yorkshire are aware that gaps need to be plugged for the first division and Byas could even bring a second fast bowler to Headingley.

Dawood, who plays Bradford League cricket for Cleckheaton, was signed by Yorkshire from Bradford-Leeds Universities Centre of Excellence in mid-June last year, when Simon Guy lost his form behind the stumps.

His previous experience in first-class cricket meant Dawood fitted easily into the side and he did not let his native county down, taking 12 catches and pulling off two stumpings in the second half of the Championship season as well as scoring 310 runs at an average of 34.44.

Dawood's determined batting twice saved Yorkshire from defeat and he was effective, also, in the totesport League, holding on to seven catches and achieving three stumpings.

A model professional, Dawood worked hard to improve his game during the winter months and his record behind the stumps remained good, with 34 catches and a stumping in a dozen Championship matches, and ten catches and four stumpings in the totesport League.

But Dawood did not particularly stand out against the spinners and when the runs also began to elude him, he was dropped and Guy brought back for the latter part of the season.

Although Guy played some good one-day innings, his Championship batting was not exceptional, and Byas feels Yorkshire must now have a much stronger wicketkeeper-batsman.

"Ismail was a dedicated and committed player and I don't get any pleasure at all from releasing him. But I just feel wicketkeeping is an area that we need to strengthen," said Byas.

Dawood, one of the first to graduate from the Yorkshire Academy, went on to have spells with Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and Glamorgan, and while playing for Bradford-Leeds UCCE he became the last batsman to score a century against county opposition at Bradford Park Avenue with his 117 off Lancashire's attack in May, 2004.

Now that Byas is looking for a wicketkeeper, he will probably be running the rule over the likes of Tim Ambrose (Sussex), Andrew Pratt (Durham) and Luke Sutton (Derbyshire).

Sutton is leaving Derbyshire, whom he captained this season, and has been strongly linked with Lancashire but nothing definite has been announced.