Craig White returns to action in place of the injured Michael Vaughan in Yorkshire's LV County Championship match against Division One bottom club, Worcestershire at Headingley Carnegie today.
White made way for Vaughan at the Rose Bowl last week but the England captain's attempt to find form with Yorkshire for a few matches before the start of the Test series against the West Indies was scuppered when he broke his right middle finger while facing Australia paceman, Stuart Clark.
Yorkshire have suffered a slight blip over the past few days to their excellent early season form but they will be confident of doing well against Worcestershire who have lost both of their opening two Championship matches.
White hit a century in Yorkshire's first match of the season at the Oval but has done little since and Anthony McGrath also needs to get a big score under his belt after an indifferent start.
The pair will be looking to turn in performances similar to when Yorkshire met Worcestershire at Headingley ten years' ago and won by 66 runs to snuff out their opponents' chances of winning the title.
McGrath, opening the innings on that occasion with Vaughan, plundered 141 and White did even better, making an unbeaten 172 with 20 fours and seven sixes.
This is Matthew Hoggard's fourth and final Championship game for Yorkshire before the Test series begins and another good effort should leave him razor-sharp for England.
In his three matches so far, Hoggard has claimed 12 wickets at an average of 19.05 runs apiece, his best effort being five for 32 in the win over Durham at Headingley.
There have always been strong links with Worcestershire whose director of cricket is Steve Rhodes, the wicketkeeper-batsman who went to New Road after starting his career with Yorkshire.
Rhodes announced yesterday that he had signed Scottish international, Dewald Nel, for a ten-day period because the club's bowling resources have been stretched by injuries to Australian left-arm fast bowler, James Bollinger (side and hip strain), Matt Mason (shoulder) and Nadeem Malik.
Yorkshire have already met up with Nel once this season. He was in Scottish Saltires' team for the clash in Edinburgh and claimed two wickets for 34 runs in ten accurate overs.
Yorkshire: White, Sayers, McGrath, Rudolph, Younus Khan, Brophy, Rashid, Bresnan, Gough, Gillespie, Hoggard.
Derbyshire's hopes of playing former Australia all-rounder Ian Harvey as an English-qualified player have been blocked. The England and Wales Cricket Board will not accept his registration until receiving confirmation of his citizenship from the Home Office.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article