Yorkshire have announced an 18-man squad for their pre-season tour of United Arab Emirates which includes the annual Champion County four-day clash against Marylebone Cricket Club from March 20.
The White Rose are without England internationals Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Joe Root and David Willey due to their ICC World Twenty20 commitments, plus the rested Jonny Bairstow.
The quintet’s absences have seen emerging all-rounder Matthew Waite and academy wicketkeeper Jonathan Read included in the travelling party.
The Tykes fly out to the Middle East on March 11 and will play Roses rivals Lancashire in a two-day match and Leicestershire Foxes in a warm-up Twenty20 ahead of defending the Emirates Airline T20 tournament, also in Dubai, on March 18.
Their bid for a successful defence starts against MCC, with the winners playing United Arab Emirates or Lancashire Lightning in the final, ahead of the Champion County clash in Abu Dhabi two days later.
Yorkshire will face a strong test from a MCC side including the likes of Ian Bell, Samit Patel, Rikki Clarke, James Tredwell and Graham Onions.
“We are excited and looking forward to returning to the Emirates for our pre-season tour,” first-team coach Jason Gillespie said.
“Despite some of our international players away with England and Jonny being rested after an intense winter with the national side, we are taking a strong squad to the UAE with a great mix of young guys coming through alongside the established senior players.
“After spending most of the winter in the indoor facilities at Headingley, the lads are ready to get some sun on their backs and play and train in some of the best facilities in the world.
“With a good spread of cricket across all formats, the tour will be ideal preparation for us going into a busy English summer.”
Yorkshire squad: Gary Ballance, Jack Brooks, Tim Bresnan, Karl Carver, Ben Coad, Matthew Fisher, Andrew Gale, Ryan Gibson, Andrew Hodd, Jack Leaning, Alex Lees, Adam Lyth, Steven Patterson, Jonathan Read, Will Rhodes, Ryan Sidebottom, James Wainman, Matthew Waite.
Source: ECB