It will be a good quiz question in years to come. Who were the four men not to play in the Ashes series despite being named in the 17-man squad?

The answer: Ajmal Shahzad, Eoin Morgan, Monty Panesar and Steve Davies.

Yorkshire’s Shahzad, 25, did get his chance to play some international cricket in the one-day series in Australia and again at the World Cup over the winter.

But he has admitted to being a frustrated onlooker for the Tests Down Under, even though he has also said that being there on the sidelines has helped to develop his game.

“Of course I was disappointed not to play because I enjoy playing,” said the fast bowler, formerly of Windhill.

“Carrying drinks and doing a lot of training on the sidelines is better than not being there at all but it would have been much more enjoyable to have played. To be there and to be part of it was amazing, the atmosphere was incredible.

“I was part of an Ashes- winning squad and also went to the World Cup, so it’s been a good winter but Tim Bresnan is an Ashes hero. It would have been nice for me to play and be recognised as an Ashes hero too.

“I just need to keep grafting and working hard. Hopefully the rewards will come my way soon.”

Shahzad is now aiming to add some more consistency to his game in a bid to break into the England sides on a regular basis.

Despite missing the Roses match at Liverpool last week due to England Lions duty, he will link up with Yorkshire ahead of Tuesday's LV= County Championship match against Somerset at Taunton.

Shahzad is certainly on the right track in terms of his determination to harness his raw pace with line and length on a more regular basis.

After all, he has come a long way since the days when he made no secret of his desire to simply terrorise batsmen with his pace.

But he continued: “There’s still a long road in front.

“I just need to keep bowling, keep working the batsmen and try to be a little bit more economical.

“I’m a strike bowler – and, generally, when I come on, I take wickets. I guess that’s what a captain wants me to do.

“I put balls in good areas, which can get wickets, but I also bowl some loose balls.

“I need to tighten myself up a bit because consistency and building the dots can get you wickets as well.”

Shahzad’s display in the recent Championship match against Hampshire at Headingley was the perfect example of what he is talking about.

He was superb in the first innings as he claimed 5-65 from 21.3 overs but was wayward as Yorkshire chased victory on the final day, returning figures of 0-53 from 14.

Having only played a couple of warm-up matches with the red ball during the three months he spent in Australia, it left him with plenty of time to work on his fitness in the gym and his bowling in the nets.

And he added: “I’ve been thinking a lot about my action and my run-up. I have tried to gather myself at the crease, coming off a nice short run, which can give you a nice solid base to explode in delivery.

“I spent a lot of time in the gym, and it was designed to help me explode at release point and hit the wicket as hard as I can.

“I’ve always had the natural ability to swing it in, and I’ve also been working on my away swinger.”