Andrew Gale is determined to give Alex Lees and Jason Gillespie a selection headache despite being told he is not in their initial plans for Twenty20 cricket.

The Yorkshire four-day captain has been left out of the squad for this week’s matches against Leicestershire in Dubai tomorrow and in the Emirates Airline competition on Friday.

Gale, who resigned as the club’s limited overs skipper last August, has not played a white ball fixture since.

He has been working hard on his skills over the winter, and he admits his non-selection is a blow.

The left-handed batsman was speaking at the end of Yorkshire’s two-day friendly against Lancashire in Dubai yesterday, which finished with the Red Rose on 256-6 in response to 313-6.

“I want to play,” he insisted. “I’ve told the club I want to play, but at this moment in time I’ve been told that I’m not considered for selection in Twenty20. They’ve told me I’m not in the best 15 players.

“That’s a bit of a blow because I’ve worked hard during the winter, but I’m going to do everything I can to give (limited overs captain) Leesy a headache.”

Since the start of 2013, the season after Yorkshire reached Finals Day, Gale has only managed two fifties in 25 appearances. From his debut in 2004 until the end of 2012, he scored 14 fifties in 73 appearances.

Yorkshire took two wickets in each of the three sessions against Lancashire yesterday.

Left-arm spinner Karl Carver returned 2-93 from 20 overs, getting Luke Procter caught at slip for 64 and Luis Reece (58) stumped.

Carver was one of 11 bowlers used, with Jack Brooks, Tim Bresnan, Matthew Fisher and Jack Leaning all striking once apiece.

Steve Patterson only conceded 15 runs from his ten overs and Will Rhodes 14 from his nine on a good pitch for batting, if just a touch slow.

“I thought it was excellent,” said Gale of Yorkshire’s work across the two days. “When you come out here, you want to take it a stage further from indoor nets.

“The two days out there, there was a little bit more pressure on it, but the lads’ attitude and focus was outstanding.

“You want every batter who goes in to spend a bit of time at the crease and get a bit of confidence. You want your bowlers to feel like they’re hitting good areas.

“That’s been achieved over the last few days.”

“Lancs probably played in a different way to how we did. They didn’t put quite as much pressure on the bowlers, but each county treats these games differently.

“It’s all about getting ready for the first Championship match.

“If they feel like they’ve got their preparation right and we feel like we’ve got ours right, then it’s a job well done.

“I was really pleased with the bowlers. I didn’t think they were that rusty. They’ve gone at two an over all day on a pretty flat pitch.

“The lines and lengths were really, really good - not far from being outstanding.”