Captain Andrew Gale says one of his main aims is to get miles in the legs of his bowlers during Yorkshire’s two-week pre-season tour of Barbados, which starts tomorrow.

The Tykes skipper, fully recovered from a broken arm, will take to the field for the first time since early August tomorrow when he leads one of the two teams in a two-day intra-squad friendly at Four Square CC.

Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire have all travelled to the Caribbean as well, with a mixture of two-day, 40-over and Twenty20 cricket planned between now and March 26.

The White Rose’s first encounter with county opposition comes in the form of a 40-over clash with Notts next Monday.

Yorkshire are in the Caribbean for the third successive year, and they also played an intra-squad match last year, which Gale missed due to England Lions duty.

He talks of a “massive tour” for the squad, and said: “I thought the bowlers were a little bit undercooked last season. So, obviously, to get miles in their legs is a big aim.

“We also want some full days in the field, and it also gives us the chance to put some plans in place.

“Dizzy (Jason Gillespie) has got some new ideas, which we’ve been working on in the nets and haven't yet had the chance to try them in a match situation.

“The boys will get a chance to see how things work on a match day with Dizzy and Paul Farbrace.

“I think we’ve got one day off in the two weeks. We’ll be putting some hard yards in, that’s for sure.

“We’ve put a schedule in place where we will be getting some good days in the field.

“We had a two-day game last year between ourselves where one team was bowled out by mid-afternoon and then the other team was in the field.

“No matter what happens this year, we’ll make sure that you’re fielding for a complete day even if you bowl the other team out. Miles in the legs are important.”

The only absentees from the tour are Tim Bresnan, who is away with England, Phil Jaques, who is still in Australia, and all-rounder Rich Pyrah, who is on paternity leave.

Yorkshire’s County Championship Division Two opener against Kent at Headingley is now less than a month away, with three days of friendly cricket to come against Derbyshire and Durham on English soil when the Tykes arrive back from the Caribbean.

The 28-year-old Gale added: “We’ll definitely have a better idea of where we’re at and which players are in form when we get home.

“It’s all about form for me. We want to pick players who are in form and do well in pre-season, both on tour and when we get back.

“There are a few players who have things to prove – that they’re worthy of a place after last year. There’s going to be a few headaches, touch wood, come that first game.”

One thing Yorkshire probably haven’t banked on in Barbados, however, is the current weather forecast.

Some predictions suggest there could be a lot of rain around for the first week of the Tykes’ trip.