LANCASHIRE batsman Mal Loye will miss the Twenty20 finals day this weekend following the results of the scan on his injured achilles.

His disappointment over missing Saturday's trip to Edgbaston will be tempered by the fact that the damage is not as bad as was initially feared.

The Lancashire opener will hopefully return to first team action in two to three weeks.

"He's had a scan and the initiatial diagnosis is that Mal has a small tear in his Achilles," said Lancashire's cricket manager Mike Watkinson.

"It means he is likely to be out for two to three weeks. If he has an excellent recovery spell then maybe a return in 10 days or so is a possibility.

"The concern when something goes around the Achilles, is whether there's been a full-scale rupture, because that could be anything up to nine months out.

"That's not the case here, and with careful management we should be getting Mal back on the park soon."

Stuart Law and skipper Warren Hegg are both in a race against time to be fit for the Twenty20 finals and Dinesh Mongia will remain with the squad if Law fails to prove his fitness in time for the weekend.

Mongia's initial registration runs out on Thursday but he it can be extended if required and he could line-up for Lancashire in their semi-final test against holders Surrey Lions on Saturday.