Jonny Bairstow is determined to stay true to the values that have seen him excel in the LV= County Championship as he looks to make a success of his new role as Yorkshire’s opener in the shorter forms of the game.

The county’s star batsman has scored 749 runs in seven four-day matches, including his first two three-figure scores.

And his fluency and clean striking in the middle order against the red ball has convinced Andrew Gale and Martyn Moxon to utilise him as early as possible against the white ball.

The 21-year-old has never scored a fifty in either 40-over or 20-over cricket, but the signs are there that a big score could be around the corner.

He hit 31 off 24 balls in Sunday’s Friends Life t20 defeat against Nottinghamshire, and will open at Headingley tomorrow night against a weak Worcestershire outfit in the same competition.

Bairstow said: “I have really enjoyed opening so far, and it’s a slightly different game at the top of the order.

“But all I am planning on doing is taking it one ball at a time and doing the same things that have seen me get my runs in four-day cricket.”

The England Lions man’s Championship form has even led some to call for his inclusion in the full one-day squad for the series against Sri Lanka later this month.

He believes there is no doubt that this summer has heralded the best form of his career, and added: “I am feeling in good touch at the moment. Hopefully I can transfer that into this format as well.”

A third Twenty20 defeat against Worcestershire, who Yorkshire hammered in the CB40 last month, would see their season hit a new low.

It is the first of back-to-back matches, with a trip to Old Trafford to face Lancashire following on Friday.

Ajmal Shahzad is targeting a return from his ankle injury in time for the Roses clash at Headingley next Friday, while Tim Bresnan has taken to the golf course as he recovers from a torn calf.

The England man has been advised to do lots of walking.