Craig White has got a week left in which to prove to himself and England that he is back in peak condition and ready to play a vital part in the battle for the Ashes.

The Yorkshire all-rounder is determined to be in the thick of the fray and he knows that some outstanding performances for his county over the next few days will do him the power of good.

By the same token, Yorkshire realise that a white-hot White will considerably boost their chances of beating Gloucestershire in the semi-final of the Benson and Hedges Cup at Headingley on Monday.

A back injury has ruined the first half of the season for the Scarborough-based player because it has caused him to miss the two Tests against Pakistan and also the triangular series of one-day internationals.

For a while England ruled that White should not bowl at all until his back trouble cleared up but he is now bowling for Yorkshire even though he is still not entirely free of pain nor sure of the cause of the injury.

And to be fit enough for the first Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday week, White must be able to charge in at full pace for Yorkshire in the Championship match against Leicestershire starting at Headingley on Friday.

"I still don't know exactly what is wrong with my back but I have been assured that by bowling I will not do myself any further harm and that has helped psychologically," said White.

"It is the lower left hand side of my back that is affected and a specialist who looked at the X-rays of my spine said there were quite a few hot spots but nothing too serious.

"If things haven't cleared up by the end of the summer, however, I will have some more tests to try to pinpoint the problem and then get it cured, probably by injections.

"A similar thing happened on the other side of my back a couple of years ago and once the injury had been properly diagnosed I had injections which worked very quickly.

"For the time being, however, I just want to get back into the England side and I will be stepping up a gear or two with my bowling for Yorkshire next week.

"In the first match that I bowled against Kent at Headingley, I could only manage to run it at half-pace but things have improved since then and I should soon be going flat out."

Born in Morley but brought up in Australia before returning to Yorkshire to play for his native county in 1990, White has no doubt where his allegiance now lies.

"I enjoyed my childhood in Australia but I am proud of where I was born and am 100 per cent an England player," he said.

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than for us to trounce the Aussies, particularly if I can do well against some of my old mates.

"I have never played in a Test match against Australia before and I badly want to get the chance to do so because these games matter more than any of the others.

"I don't think that England doing badly in the one-day internationals will cause any heads to drop when we get out there in the Tests.

"One dayers are all about experience which is something England have not got as much of as their opponents but Test matches are an entirely different thing."

White is one of the original batch of 12 England players to be put on central contracts and he says: "I think they are brilliant and I must say that Yorkshire skipper David Byas and coach Wayne Clark have been really good in doing all they can to help me get fit for England.

"I have not scored too many runs for Yorkshire this season but I feel in good nick and once my bowling is back to full speed I am confident I will soon be at my best again."