THE Yorkshire County Cricket Club has announced it will be returning to the United Arab Emirates next March ahead of the 2024 season.

A regular destination for the county for 10 years up to the last tour in early 2017, Ottis Gibson and Darren Gough will take their players to Abu Dhabi for almost two weeks from March 11.

They will play white and red ball matches against the likes of Essex, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Warwickshire and local opposition.

Yorkshire will participate in a six-team, three-day T20 festival. All the counties will be involved alongside a select 11 representing Abu Dhabi.

Yorkshire will then play a two-day red ball match, with all fixtures taking place at the Zayed Cricket Academy complex, which houses the Sheikh Zayed Stadium international venue. 

The tour will be the first opportunity for the entire Yorkshire first-team group to train and play together after a long winter, with several players returning from off-season assignments across the globe. 

Young players Matthew Revis and James Wharton are currently enjoying a winter of grade cricket in Queensland and Western Australia respectively. 

New signing Dan Moriarty will be one of the tourists ahead of his first full season with Yorkshire.

Darren Gough, Managing Director of Cricket at Yorkshire CCC, said: “We have a nice blend of youth and experience.

“It’s an exciting squad and a group that is ready to take on the challenge of what will be a brilliant festival.

“We are looking forward to travelling to Abu Dhabi. Playing in hotter and tougher conditions is great preparation for our season ahead and will be an amazing learning opportunity for both the players and the staff.

 “We respect all the teams who are part of the T20 festival and are really looking forward to the challenge.”

Yorkshire will return on Friday, March 22 to carry on preparations for the start of the season in early April.

The full county fixtures are to be released by the ECB this coming Thursday at 10am.