Fit-again Matthew Hoggard is relishing the prospect of bowling in tandem with his old Yorkshire team-mate Ryan Sidebottom when his England career resumes today.

Hoggard, chosen in England's 12-man squad for the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street, headed north from Headingley last night encouraged that he will be fit to return against West Indies.

The seamer got through 10 overs in three spells and took one for 55 as Yorkshire scraped an unlikely one-run Friends Provident Trophy win over Northamptonshire on the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Hoggard was ready afterwards to cast his mind forward to resuming a partnership with Sidebottom which helped Yorkshire win the county championship for the first time in a generation six years ago.

Sidebottom's form was so good then that he made his Test debut that year while Hoggard, at 30 a year older than his friend, had made the first of his 63 appearances in 2000.

He is delighted at the prospect of renewing their acquaintance this week.

"Ryan's done really well - it will be rolling back the years," he said.

"It's a while since I've opened the bowling with him. But we enjoyed it last time we did it and I'm sure we'll enjoy it this time."

For Hoggard, it was therefore a doubly happy outcome - with the main business of the day to come through unscathed in his first match since he injured his groin in the Lord's Test last month.

But Hoggard is convinced he is ready.

The intensity will be exactly the same, and it will be nice to get back into the England colours and throw the ball down in an international rather than a county game," he predicted.