Gough medicine

The saga over Darren Gough's future could be resolved next week when Yorkshire hope to re-sign the England fast bowler.

Gough, fit after a winter of rehabilitation on his injured knee, has been negotiating with the Yorkshire chief executive Colin Graves for two weeks and has shown encouraging signs during pre-season training. "We gave out 26 contracts and, all being well, we are hoping to make it 27," Graves said. "He's the fittest he's been in the last year, and he's been working under [the assistant bowling coach] Steve Oldham and physio Wayne Morton."

"He's been bowling under supervision and there's been no soreness - so far, so good," Morton said. He would not speculate on whether Gough would be fit for Yorkshire's first County Championship match of the season against Northamptonshire on April 18.

Yorkshire's patience has been sorely tested over the past two years as Gough was variously lost to England, his benefit and three times to the operating table. Last season he played only one championship match and five one-day internationals, leading to suggestions from the county that he be retained on a match-by-match basis. Gough has not been contracted to club or country since the end of the season.

The terms of the 32-year-old's deal are important to a club that lost £1.3m last year. But Gough has the ability to lift a team and Yorkshire would be confident of a quick return to the First Division with him in the side.