FIT-again Ryan Sidebottom is "champing at the bit" to get going for Yorkshire and boost their Specsavers County Championship title bid.

Sidebottom will play his first game of the year against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford tomorrow following a pre-season hamstring injury.

The 39-year-old opening bowler, who retires at the end of the summer, has been playing second XI cricket over the last fortnight alongside Jack Brooks, who is also available after suffering a torn calf at almost the same time.

"I've had a couple of games at High Wycombe and Harrogate with the twos and it's gone really well," said Sidebottom.

"As usual when you're out injured, you do the hard yards in the gym and you're champing at the bit to play. Especially when the team's out there, you want to be with them whether you're winning or losing.

"I still get that buzz of seeing other lads taking wickets – but also, it does kind of annoy me in a nice way. The comeback's gone well and I'm looking to forward to Lancashire.

"It's been really frustrating. I probably would have been fit for the last game at Hampshire but with me being a little bit older, it takes a bit longer to get the body in shape.

"Bowling 20 to 25 overs in a day, you need to be 100 per cent fit.

"I've done my stuff, I'm ready and hopefully I can play these 11 games and add to the team and contribute as I've always tried to do throughout my career."

Yorkshire have lost one, won one and drawn one of their opening three Division One games and sit fourth in the table, nine points off leaders Surrey.

Sidebottom said: "It's been a little bit mixed. I'm sure the lads would say they've not played the greatest cricket so far. Over the last two or three years, we probably haven't played to our consistency or the level we should be at as a team.

"There's been some cracking individual performances from the likes of Ben Coad and Gary Ballance. But to win games regularly your top six needs to score runs and your bowlers need to bowl as a unit. I don't think we've quite done that. Hopefully Friday we can.

"Although we're only three games down the line, we really need to play a bit better if we're to fight for the trophy come August and September."

Lancashire sit second in the table, five points clear of Yorkshire, having drawn two games and won one.

They will have Jimmy Anderson and Haseeb Hameed available but have not beaten Yorkshire in Championship cricket since 2011, when the Red Rose county won the title and their White Rose rivals were relegated.

"When you look at our record against all teams in Championship cricket over the last five or six years, it's been up there," said Sidebottom.

"It's always nice to play Lancashire and there's always that bit of nitty gritty.

"They've done pretty well this season. They've got some good young players coming through like Liam Livingstone and some Kolpaks as well.

"You always play that extra 10 or 20 per cent when Yorkshire are playing Lancashire or vice versa. We're in for a good game."

Meanwhile, Azeem Rafiq has signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him at Yorkshire until December 2018.

Rafiq celebrated the news with 52 not out and two wickets in Yorkshire's 20-run Royal London Cup one-day win over Leicestershire at Headingley on Tuesday.