YORKSHIRE will send a group of their bowlers out to the United Arab Emirates three days earlier than the rest of the squad this month in a bid to maximise their pre-season preparations.

By giving the bowlers a head start in outdoor conditions, the county's management are also hoping to minimise the risk of injuries further down the line.

Yorkshire's tour to Dubai runs from March 19-31, where they are pencilled in to play two-day games against Essex and Lancashire, as well as two one-day games against yet to be confirmed opposition.

They could come up against ex-England Test captain Alastair Cook, who is expected to travel with Essex.

Jack Brooks will be one of the bowlers travelling early, and he said: "I think it's a good idea because it's more forward thinking in terms of looking after your assets.

"The fewer injuries we get the better.

"It's come from the physios, and it's something they suggested last season.

"The coaches have cleared it, so the bowlers are pretty happy because we get more time in the sun!

"Seriously, having bowled indoors all winter, you can't just go flying in all guns blazing as soon as you get outside. We probably need a couple of days to get up to match intensity.

"I also think it will help the batters because it'd be unfair on them if we were coming in off just a couple of yards and all they'd have is the coaches throwing at them.

"If we're ready to go when they get there, we'll be able to make the most of the trip."

Yorkshire have toured the UAE for their last two pre-seasons, but this will be a trip minus the four-day champion county fixture and involvement in the Emirates Airline T20 competition.

And Brooks, who is now fit again after a recent calf niggle, believes that is no bad thing.

"We have a full two weeks out there where we don't have to worry about the MCC game or the T20 tournament that we played in last year," he said.

"We have two two-day matches against other counties and a couple of one-day games, but the rest of the time is ours to get into our own bubble.

"The MCC game can be good because you can play it at match intensity and can treat it almost like the Leeds-Bradford game.

"You're playing against a good standard of players.

"But, at the same time, it's a full-on game, meaning you can be caught between trying to prepare and wanting to win.

"We had a week or even two off after coming back from Dubai last year, which didn't really help. This year, it's only a couple of days before we play Leeds-Bradford at Headingley (April 2)."