TIM Bresnan says the challenge of being around to help guide Yorkshire’s squad through their transitional period is one that excites him.

All-rounder Bresnan, 33, signed a new two-year contract to stay at Emerald Headingley last month after turning his back on interest from elsewhere.

The former England star will embark upon his 19th season of county cricket in 2019 and will be in a dressing room minus fellow 2014 and 2015 Championship winners Jack Brooks, Alex Lees, Andrew Hodd and Liam Plunkett, who have all either left or are leaving.

Bresnan claimed a first-class career best 5-28 in the first innings of last week’s draw against Hampshire at Emerald Headingley and will face Worcestershire at New Road in the final game of the season from tomorrow.

Yorkshire need a maximum of two points from that fixture to secure their Division One future.

“That was the sort of main pull to keep me around, to make sure that I’m passing on the baton,” he said. “And it’s exciting.

“I’m excited about the future and about not only the cricketers sat in the dressing room at the minute, but those waiting in the wings.

“There’s a lot of talent knocking around Yorkshire, in the twos and stuff. It’s not going to be long before they’re playing.”

Bresnan has endured a largely frustrating season, particularly towards the end of the Vitality Blast.

But, certainly at his best, he remains a talismanic figure for the White Rose.

“I’ve still got loads to give,” he said.

“It showed on day two against Hampshire when it wasn’t going our way and Steve Patterson threw me the ball. I knocked the top off their innings and we piled in.

“It’s a weird one because if you could bottle form, you’d have all the money in the world.”

On his contract situation, he reflected: “It took a while, but I’m glad it’s sorted and I can start looking forward to the future with this group.”

A fight against relegation in the Championship and failure to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast has led to a significant amount of social media criticism of Yorkshire’s players and coach Andrew Gale.

During their Roses win over Lancashire recently, Bresnan pulled one particularly fan up on Twitter, defending his, his team-mates’ and Gale’s corner.

He added: “There’s been some nasty stuff flying around, and I’ve copped a lot of it this year as well.

“The other week, I thought ‘I’ve had enough of this’.

“I didn’t bite back, I just tried to make a statement for myself and the team.

“You can’t just stand up on a pedestal and get rocks thrown at you. Sometimes you have to pick one up and throw it back. I felt good for that, and the lads felt good for it.

“At the end of the day, people can say what they want, but we’re here to fight our corner.

“I feel like we’ve been fighting a losing battle all season, and as soon as we get out on the field that’s when we’re at our best.

“Lancashire, a must win game and we dealt with it. Against Hampshire, we were strong.

“We are a target and public figures, but most of the time people are just trying to get a rise out of you. They got one the other week and I threw a bit back. I felt better for it.”

Bottom side Worcester are already relegated, but they beat Yorkshire at Scarborough by an innings and 186 runs last month.