HIGHLY-RATED off-spinner Azeem Rafiq is in line to make his return to the Yorkshire side during the forthcoming Twenty20 Cup.

The 18-year-old was thrust into the limelight last year as the ineligible player who cost the White Rose county their place in the competition.

He made his debut in the final North Division game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge last June but he was not registered properly, and did not even hold a British passport.

Yorkshire, as a result, were thrown out of the competition.

But, in the last eleven months, Yorkshire have registered the Karachi-born player, while he also received a British passport on his 18th birthday in February.

“We may well introduce Rafiq into the squad at least,”

said director of cricket Martyn Moxon, aware how important spin can be in the shortest format of the game.

“We have options.

“He has done well in the second team, and we rate him highly as a future cricketer. I think he will be around the squad. Whether he will play, we will find out in due course.”

Captain Anthony McGrath has already stated that he is desperate for bowling options in this form of the game, and he said: “Over the years spin has worked very well in Twenty20 cricket.

“The more people who can bowl an over or two, it helps the team.”

If recent events are anything to go by, it seems as though left-arm spinner David Wainwright will be Yorkshire’s main weapon, despite the presence of leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Wainwright has been preferred to Rashid in recent Friends Provident Trophy matches, even when the England Lions man has been in the side. Rashid was even left out of the Group C defeat against Sussex on Monday, a match played on a turning track.

McGrath added: “David Wainwright has had a good (FPT) competition, but Adil will be important because he played a few Twenty20 games last year. He can bat and bowl.”

Due to England’s hosting of the World Twenty20, the domestic competition is being split by three County Championship games for the first time.

Yorkshire will play six North Division games in the next two weeks, with the final four played towards the end of June.

“With the group phase being split by Championship games, it is imperative that we win the first few fixtures,”

said McGrath.