Yorkshire are to let their new Australian star batsman Damien Martyn decide for himself whether he wants to play in bottom-of-the-table Phoenix's clash with leaders Surrey Lions at Headingley tomorrow.

Martyn arrived in London yesterday and was being met at Bradford-Leeds Airport today by Yorkshire's director of cricket, Geoff Cope.

"We will first of all help him settle in and then we will leave it to Damien to decide if he feels rested enough to play," said Cope.

"The main priority is to have him fully prepared for Wednesday's championship match with Somerset at Headingley."

Whereas Yorkshire are involved in a desperate struggle to gain promotion in the championship they are also battling to stave off relegation in the National League and with only four matches remaining they must pull off a shock win against Surrey.

England captain Michael Vaughan is back for Yorkshire and he will have a good chance to gauge reaction to his controversial remarks that championship cricket is a treadmill and does not prepare players for England.

Left-arm paceman Ryan Sidebottom returns after being out since late July with a sprained ankle and Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard are both included in the line-up but Steve Kirby takes a well-earned rest.

Craig White is fit again after a fortnight out with muscle spasms but he will not play because of family reasons.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is determined to post a big score in his last match for Yorkshire before returning home on Monday.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire members' committee representative Simon Parsons has spoken to president Robin Smith and also contacted chief executive Colin Graves about this week's remarks by Graves that the championship should be reduced to eight or ten matches - a suggestion that has caused uproar among the club's rank and file members.

Parsons has passed on the strong views of members to Graves but he seemed to be striking a more conciliatory tone yesterday when he said: "I think it is all a storm in a tea cup with nothing to worry about and there is no need for members to take any drastic action.

"I don't agree with cutting the Championship in half but I agree with some of the things that Colin Graves has said.

"In my view, county cricket is poor and we need to improve it.

"All Michael Vaughan has done is open up a debate which will be on-going and I can assure members that they will have their input before any action is taken. There is no need at this stage for anyone to get too excited or to start a slanging match."

Yorkshire Phoenix (v Surrey Lions) from: Wood, Fleming, Vaughan, Lumb, McGrath, Craven, Blakey, Gray, Dawson, Gough, Hoggard, Sidebottom, Martyn.