Phil Jaques knows another slow start to tomorrow’s LV= County Championship match against Durham at the Riverside could spell calamity for his Yorkshire team-mates.

The White Rose county are aiming to bounce back from an opening round division one defeat to Sussex earlier this month, in which they were invited to bat and were reduced to 11-3 inside the first 14 overs.

And although they improved through the contest, they had left themselves with a mountain to climb upon their return to the top-flight.

An innings and 12-run defeat has still not shaken Yorkshire’s belief they can mark their 150th anniversary year by winning the Championship title, thus becoming only the second team to triumph immediately after promotion.

But they also know a trip to the North East this early in the summer will test their resolve to its maximum.

The former Australian international batsman said: “It’s a tough place to go in the early stages of a season.

“You never quite know what you’re going to get wicket-wise. It could be really slow and hard work for the bowlers, or it could nip around and be hard for the batters.

“They’re a tough side with a good bowling attack. They’ve got some really talented young players as well, so we’re going to have to be on our toes to win.

“Particularly with the new ball, it’s going to be hard work. I think whoever can negotiate that first hour with the new ball will probably win the fixture.

“It’s one of those places where you can lose four or five wickets very quickly, so hopefully we can rectify some of the issues that crept in for us against Sussex and be on the right end of it this time.”

Despite winning their first match of the season against Somerset, Durham had batting problems of their own during their second match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston last week, being reduced to 50-6 in their first innings and then getting bowled out for 94 in their second. Durham head into the clash having won one and lost one.

Yorkshire, who will be without injured Azeem Rafiq (knee) for the next six weeks, welcome back England duo Joe Root and Tim Bresnan into their 12-man squad.

Bresnan will come back into the team for his first Championship match of the season, most likely for one of Steve Patterson, Jack Brooks or Liam Plunkett. Adil Rashid should return in place of Rafiq, while Root will open the batting instead of Alex Lees.

Jaques, who scored two and 57 against Sussex, added: “Obviously it didn’t go to plan in our first game. We ran into a pretty good side who probably had the best of the conditions.

“But it’s definitely not panic stations in our camp. We’re still very positive about this season, and we think we’ve got the side to challenge and be right up there.”

Yorkshire 12 for Durham: Gale (capt), Bairstow (wkt), Ballance, Bresnan, Brooks, Jaques, Lyth, Patterson, Plunkett, Rashid, Root, Sidebottom.