Phil Jaques knows another slow start to Wednesday's LV= County Championship match against Durham at The Riverside could spell trouble for his Yorkshire team-mates.

The White Rose county are aiming to bounce back from an opening-round Division One defeat to Sussex earlier this month in which they were invited to bat and were reduced to 11-3 inside the first 14 overs.

And although they improved through the Headingley contest, they had left themselves with a mountain to climb upon their return to the top-flight.

An innings and 12-run defeat has still not shaken Yorkshire’s belief that they can mark their 150th anniversary year by winning the Championship title.

But they also know that a trip to the North East this early in the summer will test their resolve to its maximum.

The former Australian international batsman, who scored two and 57 against Sussex, said: “It’s a tough place to go in the early stages of a season.

"You never quite know what you're going to get wicket-wise. It could be really slow and hard work for the bowlers or it could nip around and be hard work for the batters.

“Particularly with the new ball, it's going to be hard work. I think whoever can negotiate that first hour with the new ball will probably win the fixture.

“It's one of those places where you can lose four or five wickets very quickly, so hopefully we can rectify some of the issues that crept in for us against Sussex and be on the right end of it this time.”

Durham have won one and lost one of their opening two matches, the latest a defeat to Warwickshire at Edgbaston last week.

Yorkshire 12 for Durham: Gale (c), Bairstow (w), Ballance, Bresnan, Brooks, Jaques, Lyth, Patterson, Plunkett, Rashid, Root, Sidebottom.