TEENAGE off-spinner Azeem Rafiq is aiming to gatecrash Yorkshire’s first team in 2009.

The 17-year-old has flown to Cape Town with the England Under-19s squad after finally being granted British citizenship.

Rafiq has endured a nightmare six months after being embroiled in a passport row that ended up with Yorkshire being thrown out of last season’s Twenty20 Cup.

But he is delighted that he can now concentrate purely on his cricket.

“It is a massive relief to be able to put all the passport and citizenship issues behind me,” said Pakistan-born Rafiq, who made his first-team debut for the White Rose as an ineligible player against Nottinghamshire in a Twenty20 Cup group game last June.

“I am absolutely delighted to have made the U19s squad, and it will be a great way to start the new year for me.”

Although Yorkshire must take the blame for the problems surrounding Rafiq’s eligibility, it did seem strange that a former England U15s and U17s captain was deemed an overseas player by the ECB. Understandably, Rafiq prefers to forget the past.

“I had a good idea that I would be named in the U19s squad should all that stuff get sorted in time,” said the Barnsley-based starlet.

“To get into an U19s squad as a 17-year-old is pretty good, and I believe that I am good enough to prove myself at that level.”

England, under the guidance of their manager John Abrahams, will train and play warm-ups this week before the first of five one-day internationals on Tuesday.

Two Twenty20 internationals follow, before one scheduled Test match.

“It is pretty much all geared up to preparing for the U19s World Cup, which is next year in Kenya,” said Rafiq. “Five one-day internationals is a lot with just one Test, but at U19s level limited overs cricket is played more.”

Rafiq, who led a young Yorkshire side to the Academy PRO Arch Trophy title in Abu Dhabi before Christmas, returns to England on February 4 to prepare for the senior PRO Arch Trophy in Abu Dhabi in late March.

Unsurprisingly, his aim is first- team cricket in 2009, and he will be watching team-mate Adil Rashid’s England career with interest.

He said: “Hopefully, I can have a really good winter with England, press my claims on the pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi, and then see where we go from there in the summer. If Adil Rashid does well with England, that could open the door for me.”

Towards the end of last summer Rafiq revealed that he had been practising the “carrom ball”, a delivery popularised by Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis, which spins both ways and can go straight on.

“I have now got to the stage where I am confident of bowling it in matches, although I haven’t got anybody out in a match with it yet,” he said. “But I have done in the nets a few times.”

Meanwhile, Leeds Metropolitan University have signed a deal to become the Emirates Airline Pro ARCH Trophy education partner for the 2009 competition, which Yorkshire will compete in between March 17 and 25.