Adil Rashid is hoping that Yorkshire will benefit from the schedule in place for the England Lions’ forthcoming two-month tour of the West Indies.
The leg-spinning all-rounder from Bradford is one of four White Rose stars to have gained a place in the 17-man squad, which departs for the Caribbean on January 24.
And with more players than any other county included, the Tykes should benefit more with the domestic season starting less than a fortnight after they return.
Rashid said: “There’s a big difference in going on a tour like this and playing competitive cricket, rather than just netting. You can get miles in your legs, get your confidence up, then come back into our season ready to go.”
Andrew Gale, Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow will all join Rashid on tour, which is due to end only 12 days before Yorkshire face Worcestershire at New Road for their County Championship opener on April 8.
The Lions will take part in the West Indian domestic competition, playing seven four-day matches.
Rashid said: “We’ll be going to Barbados, Trinidad, St Lucia, all the different places in the West Indies. It should be a really good experience.”
The 22-year-old is now back in training with his county after a two-month break.
He was left out of the ECB Performance Programme squad for their month-long training camp in Australia.
Yorkshire director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon had suggested that the player should be afforded a break from the game if he was not selected in England’s full Ashes squad.
Rashid said: “For the last three or four winters, I’ve been away for at least a couple of months on tour. Then I’ve come straight back into the start of our season at Yorkshire.
“To have been able to have a break for a couple of months has been really good for me. When I get back with the Lions in January, I’ll be raring to go.”
Rashid took 93 wickets in all competitions for Yorkshire last summer, including 57 in the Championship and 26 in Twenty20.
He was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Friends Provident Twenty20 North Division with Lancashire left-armer Stephen Parry.
The Yorkshire star said: “I figured out how I really want to bowl in Twenty20, how to start, how to finish, how to bowl at certain batsmen when they’re coming at you.
“Last season I started off pretty slowly – but once I got towards the middle and end, the wickets started to come. I felt really confident.
“As a spinner you need to bowl and bowl and bowl to get that rhythm and confidence. Playing well and regularly for Yorkshire really helped me to develop.”
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