Bresnan is eager to impress Test selectors ahead of Ashes

The seamer, along with England colleague Joe Root, faces Lancashire in a three-day friendly that starts at Headingley (12noon).

It is his first game of any kind since being part of the Test series victory over India in January, the 28-year-old having since undergone surgery on a troublesome elbow injury.

Bresnan knows he only has a small window of opportunity to prove his fitness and form ahead of next month’s Tests with New Zealand and, crucially, the Ashes later this summer.

“It has been a while since I played,” he said.

“I’m feeling good and looking forward to playing against Lancashire.

“I have been bowling in the nets and the elbow has responded well.

“I feel I’m getting back to my best. For me it is now playing as much cricket as possible with a view to playing well for Yorkshire and ultimately breaking back into the England team.”

Bresnan, who starred in the final two Ashes Tests on the 2010-11 tour Down Under, missed England’s recent New Zealand trip and knows there will now be added competition for his place in the build-up to Australia’s arrival.

Hoping to have regained some pace after that operation, he will be eager to quickly remind the 
selectors of his ability.

Bresnan and Root replace opening batsman Alex Lees and seamer Moin Ashraf in the squad that lost against Sussex in the LV= County Championship last weekend.

That duo will instead head to Hartlepool to play in the three-day second-team friendly against Durham.

First-team coach Jason Gillespie has confirmed that Yorkshire and Lancashire will be treating the friendly as a training game and every member of the squad selected by the White Rose will get some game time in over the next three days.

“Both clubs agreed that they wanted to use the next three days as key practice in the middle,” explained Gillespie. “We will use all 13 players at some stage throughout the game and Lancashire will do the same with their squad.

“For us, it is vital to work on all areas of our game ahead of the Championship match at Durham the week after.

“I want to see our spinners given long spells to get them into a rhythm, so we should see a lot of bowling from Raf (Azeem Rafiq) and Rash (Adil Rashid) over the next few days.

“Batting wise, Alex Lees will play in the seconds, which will give him chance to work on his game.

“Joe Root will play his first Yorkshire game of the season and I hope he gets plenty of time in the middle and forms a strong partnership with Adam Lyth.”

The first day commences at 12pm finishing at 6pm, but tomorrow and Thursday revert back to an 11am start finishing at 6pm. Admission to the match is free for all days.

Yorkshire: Adam Lyth, Joe Root, Phil Jaques, Andrew Gale ©, Gary Balance, Jonny Bairstow (w), Azeem Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Tim Bresnan, Liam Plunkett, Ryan Sidebottom, Jack Brooks, Steve Patterson.