Ajmal Shahzad says he has still got plenty of learning to do despite being fast-tracked into England’s World Twenty20 squad.

This time last year the former Bradford League bowler was preparing for a summer of trying to cement his place in Yorkshire’s first team after a couple of injury-hit seasons.

But now Shahzad is ready to play his part in England’s bid to become 20-over champions of the world.

“It’s been a big year for me but I keep reminding people that I’ve only played 22 first-class games,” said the 24-year-old paceman.

“I’m still learning. I might be a senior bowler here at Yorkshire but I’ve not fully matured yet.”

Shahzad, who signed a new long-term contract with Yorkshire in the winter, took 40 wickets and scored 445 runs in the County Championship last term and has raised expectation levels.

“Last year people didn’t expect too much from me because they didn’t know what I was capable of doing,” he said.

“But I expect a lot from myself and I wanted to be Yorkshire’s leading wicket-taker.”

Shahzad could be available for the first two Championship matches of the season before jetting off to the Caribbean. He would then miss three four-day matches before returning towards the end of May.

It is expected that he will link up with West Indian fast bowler Tino Best, who is on the verge of completing his move to Headingley, in next week’s opener against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Both men have that extra yard of pace and it is a fearsome prospect for opposition batsmen.

Shahzad said: “That’s the way we want it to be. We want batsmen to feel intimidated when they come up against us.”

Graham Hardcastle