TIM BRESNAN admits he is confident of returning to England’s Test team before the end of their five-match series with India, which starts at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

The Yorkshire all-rounder, the only wicket-taker during a rain-ruined day two of their LV= County Championship match against Durham at Headingley, has had to settle for international limited overs appearances since the end of the winter Ashes series.

He has seen the likes of Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett leapfrog him in the pecking order, although he has returned encouraging four-day form for his county with 24 wickets in his seventh match and is fairly laid-back about his current situation.

“I kind of understand that it's the natural progression in any professional sport,” said Bresnan, who saw Durham reach 50-1 in the 21st over after Yorkshire’s first-innings 426.

“Your form and fitness ebbs and flows, and things can change around pretty quickly.

“The people to miss out for me to get into that Ashes team (last summer) were Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions. Tremmers was back in for the Ashes in Australia.

“It just so happens that I'm the one making way at this moment in time, but a few more runs and wickets and, depending on injuries and form, I thoroughly expect to be having another crack before the end of the summer.

"Five Tests in seven weeks is not the schedule that a fast bowler needs, and it's going to be a squad effort I would have thought.”

Bresnan has this week returned to Yorkshire’s Championship team after missing the win against Warwickshire at Edgbaston a fortnight ago due to his need for another injection in his troublesome right elbow.

He has had two operations on it since November 2011 and numerous injections to settle things down when needed.

And, having got Mark Stoneman caught behind from around the wicket just after lunch on day two, he revealed that he is expecting to need regular injections for the rest of his career.

“It’s never really been same since the first operation,” he added.

“It is something I’m going to have to manage, probably with a cortisone injection every six months. The injection is non-intrusive and works well, so I shouldn't need another operation.

“The injection I had last week has helped tremendously. I’m not getting any pain, and everything seems so much easier. I feel I'm bowling nicely and in good areas, where before a little bit of pain had been holding me back.”

Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom shared 46 for the tenth wicket in the morning to help Yorkshire advance their first innings from 367-7 overnight as they clinched the fifth batting bonus point for reaching 400 with one ball of the 110th over to spare.

There were only 40.2 overs bowled as rain ruined play from mid-afternoon onwards. There was no play beyond 3.05pm.

Shortly before the rain arrived, Bresnan had Scott Borthwick dropped at second slip by Adam Lyth on two.

SCOREBOARD

LV= County Championship

Division one

Yorkshire v Durham

at Headingley Carnegie

Yorkshire First Innings

A Lyth lbw b Wood 143

A Z Lees lbw b Borthwick 108

J A Leaning b Wood 4

A W Gale lbw b Wood 5

J M Bairstow b Wood 0

A J Finch c Borthwick b Rushworth 36

A U Rashid c Borthwick b Rushworth 15

T T Bresnan c Borthwick b Hastings 6

S A Patterson c Mustard b Wood 17

R J Sidebottom c Couglin b Borthwick 25

J A Brooks not out 27

Extras (b4 lb19 w4 nb13) 40

Total (115.4 overs) 426

Fall: 1-270 2-282 3-288 4-288 5-291 6-337 7-344 8-367 9-380.

Bowling: Rushworth 26-7-79-2, Hastings 26-6-89-1, Wood 24-3-87-5, Couglin 13-1-57-0, Borthwick 17.4-1-69-2, Collingwood 8-1-21-0, Jennings 1-0-1-0.

Durham First Innings

M D Stoneman c Bairstow b Bresnan 21

K K Jennings not out 25

S G Borthwick not out 3

Extras (lb1) 1

Total 1 wkt (20.4 overs) 50

Fall: 1-39.

Bowling: Sidebottom 3-1-4-0, Brooks 3-0-11-0, Patterson 7.4-3-13-0, Bresnan 7-1-21-1.