JACK Brooks believes he would not be as prolific if it weren't for team-mates Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Bresnan, Steve Patterson and Liam Plunkett.

The Yorkshire paceman is within sight of 50 Specsavers County Championship wickets for the season, a benchmark for any bowler.

He is also in with a good chance of reaching 60 for the third year running, needing 15 from the final three matches.

With two of those to come at Headingley – his favourite hunting ground – it would take a brave person to back against the 32-year-old quick.

"I get a lot of my wickets due to having Siddy and Brez at the other end and Patto and Liam as well," said Brooks ahead of today's clash with Durham at Headingley, where he has taken 102 wickets in 22 Championship matches for Yorkshire.

"I wouldn't be the same bowler if I didn't have those lads around me.

"I'm surprised I've managed to get into the mid-40s. It's not been easy because I've missed two games and you'll always have some quiet games.

"I said last year that if I could get 60 and we won the league, that would be great.

"I thought, with the rule changes and the flatter wickets coming in this year, 60 might be out of my control. It's still feasible – but three wins is the target more than anything.

"The 50 is a nice target to tick off as a bowler but 60 is another level.

"There are two games at Headingley, so hopefully I can pick up a couple. It's something that I can look back on at the end of my career and be proud of."

Brooks missed two matches through the middle of this season with a torn quad muscle.

While he admitted to frustration at the time, now he sees his lay-off as a blessing as Yorkshire bid to overhaul leaders Middlesex and claim a third title in a row.

Brooks said: "It might work in my favour, coming back a bit fresher. When I got injured, I was absolutely cooked physically and mentally.

"I'd had a really tough start to the season because I wasn't getting the wickets that I would have wanted.

"We were missing Brez and Siddy, so there was a lot more on my back to get wickets and I wasn't really getting them.

"Then, getting injured, it was a real disappointment. But getting away from the team and the environment for five or six weeks, I was able to get my head straight and get strong and fit again.

"I feel like I can finish the season strongly. Even though I've bowled a lot of overs this summer, I still feel reasonably fresh."

Eight of Brooks' 45 wickets, making him the joint-second most prolific seamer in Division One, came in last week's draw at Hampshire.

He also hit an unbeaten 34 with the bat to take his season's tally to 207 runs, something he described as "a huge tick".

Teenage seamer Matthew Fisher could play his first match of the season following hamstring issues.

Yorkshire (from): Gale (c), Ballance, Bresnan, Brooks, Coad, Fisher, Hodd (w), Lees, Lehmann, Lyth, Patterson, Rafiq, Sidebottom.

* Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root have been made unavailable to Yorkshire for the rest of the season. The ECB want the pair to rest ahead of England's early winter tour to Bangladesh.

A decision on the availability of David Willey, Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett will be made after tomorrow's T20 international against Pakistan.