YORKSHIRE have been handed a boost with the news that Andrew Gale does not require an injection in his shoulder, meaning he will captain the side in today’s Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Sussex at Hove.

Gale was expecting to miss tonight’s floodlit and televised Group C encounter and Sunday’s match against the Unicorns at Scarborough.

But, after a scan on Monday, the left-handed batsman has been cleared to continue at the top of the order.

The White Rose county head to the South Coast having won one and lost one of their opening two matches, the win coming against Derbyshire at Headingley on Sunday thanks to impressive performances from Mitchell Starc and Gary Ballance.

A Jacques Rudolph century secured an impressive win over Sussex at Scarborough last summer, but Yorkshire have not won a 40-over match at Hove since 1994.

Their last one-day win there was in the 60-over NatWest Trophy in 1996.

First-team coach Jason Gillespie, however, is confident his players can buck the trend.

“They’re a very good team playing at home, so it will be a real challenge for us,” said the Australian. “I’d like to think that if we keep our standards up, then we have a great chance of winning the game.

“I just want us to take the same attitude we showed against Derby down to Sussex.

If we do that, we’ll give ourselves the best chance.”

Ryan Sidebottom has also been named in a 12-man squad having been rested from the first two matches against Kent and Derbyshire.

Impressive with bat and ball against Derby on Sunday, especially the latter to restrict the visitors to 219-8 after Martin Guptill and Chesney Hughes had shared 137 for the first wicket, Yorkshire were just as good in the field.

And it is a facet of their game that Gillespie is desperate for them to get right.

He said: “I was really pleased with how we stuck to the task in the field. I thought our fielding was excellent by and large, and our movement around the ground was really goo too.

“I put a big emphasis on fielding, which is something we’ve worked pretty hard on since I’ve been here. It’s so important in this day and age. It really could be the difference for you at the end of the day.

“It’s not just the actual skill of fielding, it’s also the movement around the ground and off the ball. I thought the whole attitude towards it was excellent against Derbyshire, especially when Guptill was going hard.

“It’s a work in progress.

We’re continually looking to improve all facets of our game, and the boys are working very hard at it, there’s no question about that.

“The philosophy is that if we work hard and smart at every facet of our game, we’ll do okay.”

Yorkshire: Gale, Lyth, Jaques, Ballance, Root, McGrath, Brophy, Rafiq, Rashid, Sidebottom, Starc, Ashraf.