A Roses victory over Lancashire on Friday would be the perfect way to kick-start Yorkshire’s Friends Life t20 campaign, according to off-spinner Azeem Rafiq.

The 22-year-old is fit again following a knee injury he picked up in early April.

Having played in the Vikings’ first two Twenty20 matches against Derbyshire and Durham, he is delighted to be back on the park after a frustrating spell on the sidelines. But he is still on a downer following successive defeats.

It is no secret that Yorkshire are targeting an improvement in their batting, having posted below par totals in each North Division fixture to leave their bowlers with just too much to do.

The Tykes have a winning record in Roses T20 matches at Headingley, having won six of the nine meetings.

Rafiq has also enjoyed a profitable return against the Red Rose. He has contributed to four wins in his five appearances, including a man-of-the-match display at Old Trafford in 2011 when he took 3-15 and then hit the lion’s share of ten runs needed to win off the last over.

He also took 1-22 and added a stunning reflex catch at backward point at Heading-ley last year.

“Twenty20 is all about momentum, and we were not too far off having that because they’ve been really tight games,” said Rafiq of the Derbyshire and Durham clashes.

“There’s nothing bigger than a Roses game. If we can get a win, it will give us a lot of confidence.

“I’m delighted to be back playing because it’s been a very frustrating few weeks. I’ve worked hard in the gym and with the physio.

“Yes I’m glad to be back playing but disappointed with the results. Hopefully we can get a few wins under our belts soon.

“We’ve just not been good enough with the bat. We’ve got a little bit of time before the Lancashire game on Friday and we’ve got to sit down and get it sorted.”

Yorkshire will check on the fitness of Phil Jaques over the next few days to see if he can return from an abdominal injury.

Cleckheaton fast bowler Iain Wardlaw will also come back into contention after Scotland duty.