ENGLAND-bound opener Phil Jaques is determined not to end his state career in the NSW second XI. Jaques, 32, signalled the end of his Australian first-class career by signing a two-year deal with English county team Yorkshire. However, along with rising star Nic Maddinson, he was left out of the Sheffield Shield side that lost to Tasmania in Hobart.

He told The Sun-Herald he was very close to recapturing the form that earned him 11 Test caps, after he had finally worked out what his body could - and could not - do following back surgery

in 2008.

''I'm hitting the ball really well,'' he said. ''I had a good Big Bash with the Hobart Hurricanes and am feeling very good.''

Jaques dismissed the notion that despite playing 77 first-class matches for NSW, which have yielded 5659 runs at an average of 41.30, there was an entitlement for a ''last hurrah''.

''I want to finish the season off well and by contributing wherever I can for the state,'' he said. ''I'd love to play for NSW if the opportunity arose, but right now I'm captain of the second team and helping out in that regard. I'm definitely hoping to get picked for a few more games, though.''

He said the emergence of young players such as Maddinson and Kurtis Patterson made him realise it was time to pull up stumps.

''There's so many good young batters I thought it was time for me to move on,'' he said. ''The opportunity arose for me to play for Yorkshire and it was too good a chance to pass over. I'm looking forward to it.''

Jaques said for most of the three years he was playing international cricket, a career that included a century in his last Test, he had lived on anti-inflammatory tablets to counter the pain from his back.

''When I got the opportunity to play for Australia I grabbed it, but it wasn't to be because of the timing of my back injury,'' he said.

''I'm hitting my straps now. It's taken me a little while to get back to full movement. I'm able to train a lot more now but while there's no doubt the injury and the [year] out of the game cost me dearly, I have no regrets.''