But he is finally on the way back to his best for his county after he rebuilt his bowling action to alleviate the stress it was putting on his right knee.

Gough told The Observer: "There's a place there obviously, especially in the one-day side.

"And me being England's leading wicket-taker, I feel I would be the obvious choice. I'm not giving up on Zimbabwe yet.

"I wouldn't be heartbroken if I did not play against Zimbabwe. I'm happy to be playing for Yorkshire.

"And it's good to get in the groove, to be taking wickets, getting into that rhythm of bowling every day.

"I was so disappointed watching the World Cup because I thought we could have done a little better, but the injuries stopped me performing.

"I think we lacked experience in the bowling department. I think that was quite obvious. And we missed Graham Thorpe in the batting line-up.

"If we'd had that, myself and him in the side, I think we'd have done a lot better."