MATTHEW Fisher is hoping to make his first Specsavers County Championship appearance of the season against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford from Sunday.

The Sheriff Hutton Bridge fast bowler, 20, is currently playing for the England Lions in their four-day game against India A at Worcester after a summer of predominantly white ball cricket.

His only red ball appearance came for the MCC in the champion county fixture against Essex in Barbados in late March.

Fisher is relishing the opportunity to work on his red ball skills again during the next fortnight, an area of his game which he believes is in good order.

He is unlikely to play in Friday’s Vitality Blast Roses clash at Old Trafford given a busy period of matches, although Yorkshire have all their England players available bar Jonny Bairstow.

He is in line to play in the Championship alongside Joe Root, but Liam Plunkett and David Willey won’t be considered for that on workload grounds.

“To me, it’s really nice to get back to four-day cricket,” he said.

“I’ve bowled a lot with the white ball, and I feel like the red ball’s a strength of mine.

“This Lions game isn’t just a chance to show what I can do, hopefully it’s a good confidence booster ahead of the Roses game if selected.

“These are two games where it’s as close to Test cricket as you can get without playing it in my opinion.

“Lancashire have their Test players and we have ours.

“It’s another test for me to see where I’m at in comparison to international level.

“At the end of last season, I felt like my red ball stuff was progressing well.

“I’ve always felt my skills with the red ball have been really good. I’m patient and, when fit, am able to bowl 15 overs, not go at much more than three an over and pick up wickets.”

Fisher started the summer playing for the North in the ECB’s North v South one-day series before that aforementioned champion county appearance, in which he took a cheap wicket in each innings of a win.

He then missed the first six weeks of Yorkshire’s season with a torn side, but has returned encouragingly.

He has taken 12 wickets from nine appearances in the Royal London one-day Cup and the Blast plus three from five one-day appearances for the Lions.

“I feel like I’ve bowled well without picking up loads of wickets,” he said.

“Hopefully that’s around the corner and I can get a few three-fors, four-fors and five-fors on the bounce.”

Lancashire and Yorkshire head into the Championship clash from Sunday sixth and seventh in Division One.

Lancashire are three points better off with one win from eight, but they have played a game more than Yorkshire, who have won two from seven.

They have had similar seasons.

Both have started the T20 Blast well, winning three from four, with the only difference being Yorkshire’s run to the semi-finals of the Royal London compared to Lancashire’s group stage exit.

Fisher added: “It is a big game (in the Championship), but as a group we are pretty happy that the control is in our own hands. We play the teams around us twice. We have Lancs and Worcester to play twice and Hampshire once.

“When you know you’re solely in control of the situation, it’s a lot easier.

“Hopefully, with a strong team against Lancs, we can turn them over.”

Yorkshire have signed Warwickshire leg-spinner Josh Poysden to play on a one-match loan.