Yorkshire are believed to be lining up a loan move for Durham’s Steve Harmison as they look to avoid a personnel crisis in their fast bowling department.

Mitchell Starc is set to link up with Australia A after the end of the Friends Life t20 group campaign tomorrow, meaning he will miss the next two County Championship matches, while Ryan Sidebottom is due to be out until the end of the month with a calf injury.

Harmison, a two-time Ashes winner with England and once rated as the number one fast bowler in the world, has struggled to establish himself in Durham’s first team this summer due to injury and loss of form.

The 33 year-old has not played in the ongoing Twenty20 campaign for Durham, only taking six wickets in three Championship matches in 2012.

Yorkshire, whose t20 tie against Lancashire was washed out at Old Trafford last night, have also offered a new contract to Joe Sayers, their vice-captain currently out of the first team.

The opener has suffered a frustrating summer, having not played a first-team match since the County Championship win against Gloucestershire at Bristol between May 9-12 when he scored just one in their pursuit of 400.

He has scored only 165 runs in five Division Two matches with a top score of 45, although he was not helped by opening the batting against the brand new ball on bowler-friendly pitches.

Sayers, 28 years old, has since been stuck in the White Rose second XI, for whom he has a top score of 49 in seven matches in all competitions.

An attempt to return to first-team colours has not been helped by the weather. All four days of last week’s Championship and one-day Trophy matches against Derbyshire were washed out, the second time that has happened this summer.

Sayers is expected to agree to the extension of his current deal, which runs out in the summer.

White Rose director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon confirmed: “We are in discussions with Joe, and I think he’ll be staying with us.”

Yorkshire will find out their quarter-final opponents after tomorrow’s clash with Derbyshire at Headingley.