Wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy has revealed his shock at being left out of Yorkshire’s County Championship side.

Captain Andrew Gale picked Jonny Bairstow ahead of the 34-year-old South African, despite a solid season with both gloves and bat in 2009.

But the ex-Northamptonshire man said: “I had no idea they were going to leave me out after last year when I averaged 45 and kept really well. I only made three mistakes in the entire year.

“I was really disappointed, but there’s not much you can do about it. I wasn’t left out because of my game, there was nothing I did wrong. It’s just that they see Jonny as the future of the club.”

As you would expect, Brophy says: “I’ve got to get on with it and do my thing. I can’t control anything else.”

But he does feel that his best chance of regaining his place in the Championship side will be as a specialist batsman, unless there is an injury to or a drastic loss of form from 20-year-old Bairstow.

He continued: “If there’s an injury, I haven’t excluded myself from playing as a batter. If one of the top six gets injured or goes through a bit of bad form, I don’t see why they can’t pick me ahead of anyone else.

“I don’t know exactly what I’m averaging this year in the second team, but it must be 80-plus.”

Brophy has still contributed to Yorkshire’s fantastic start to the new season, notching an unbeaten 93 in last Sunday’s Clydesdale Bank 40 victory over Derbyshire at Headingley.

And, having also scored 89 against Loughborough University earlier this week, he said: “I’m pretty happy with the way I’m batting at the moment. I’m pleased I’m playing one-day cricket, so hopefully I can give a lot to the one-day side.

“We are playing well as a club, and that’s the most important thing. No player is bigger than the club. It’s been great the way that both teams have started.”

The White Rose are fancied to make it four CB40 wins out of four tomorrow when they welcome the Netherlands to Headingley.

But Brophy says the result is by no means a foregone conclusion.

He added: “I know they beat England in a Twenty20 match last year, so they’re definitely no mugs. Their guys can play, there’s no doubt about it.

“We’ve already had a chat as a side to ensure that we’ve got to be really professional. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, the points count.”

Meanwhile, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon is hopeful of announcing soon that Tino Best will remain at Headingley beyond the end of the month.