Yorkshire have been given a major boost ahead of the weekend’s Roses clash with Lancashire after the ECB allowed Ajmal Shahzad to leave the England squad.

It means the seamer is available for selection for the Tykes’ next County Championship fixture which starts tomorrow at Headingley.

“It will be nice to have Ajmal back after he missed out on starting for England despite being in the squad,” admitted director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

“He will have learned a lot from being away with the national side and he is a such a good talent that it will certainly improve our team.

“Ajmal is someone who likes to learn and he will be coming back with lots of confidence.”

The 24-year-old’s return is certainly good news for the Tykes.

Before he left for the ICC World Twenty20 he had been a major part in the county’s fantastic start to 2010, with 12 wickets and 100 runs in only three games.

It helped Yorkshire top the early division one table and the Tykes will be looking for the paceman to inject some impetus back into the season. Shahzad’s return will also see him share the new ball with overseas star Tino Best – and with both bowling at around 90mph the Lancashire top order will have to be at their best.

“It is certainly an exciting prospect,” added Moxon. “We will have to asses the conditions before we decide on the final 11, but if those two are on their game then they will be a match for anyone.”

However, he could be named in England’s squad for the second Test against Bangladesh, which starts next Friday.