THE scene was typical of many a dreary Lancashire summer afternoon.

As the drizzle tumbled onto the outfield of the Liverpool ground, the Lancashire card sharps were huddled around their piles of pennies in the pavilion -- all except one, that is.

Saurav Ganguly was watching telly with the New Zealand A lads.

A similar stand-off between the Indian captain and the Lancashire players has existed almost from the word go.

It has been caused, as much as anything, by a stark clash of cultures.

Ganguly is from an aristocratic Indian background and has been viewed as aloof, while the majority of the Red Rose are about as aloof as Rodney Trotter.

Matters have come to a head in the two recent matches when Ganguly turned in a lacklustre display in the Nat West semi against Gloucestershire and was snubbed by his team-mates after scoring 50 against Kent the following day.

It would be pointless, as some have suggested, to send the man home with a host of potentially key games still in the offing, not least the home championship game against Surrey.

But lessons must be learned in order to prevent a repetition of a sorry state of affairs. Fortunately for Lancashire, the popular Muttiah Muralitharan is expected to return as their overseas player next season.

So, it would appear that the preferred option is a specialist bowler and that's certainly what the players would have advised from the outset.

New coach Bobby Simpson however, having coached Ganguly in the World Cup, backed his own judgement.

In these matters, of course, there is no guarantee of a bed of roses.

But, having surely identified the problem early in the season, Simpson should have nipped it in the bud with a full and frank team meeting.

Other questions need to be asked of Simpson, who had a less than impressive time in his previous spell on the county circuit with Leicestershire.

There has been little evidence of players benefiting from his coaching experience.

In fact, over the whole season, only Gary Keedy has shown sustained improvement with long and controlled spells of spin bowling, while Mike Smethurst has displayed flashes of potential.

A crucial month of the season remains and Simpson still has the chance to end his first of two years -- and he is already talking about an extended stay -- on a high note.

And what better way to send a clear message of intent to the rest of the Lancashire squad, and supporters, than by punishing Ganguly for breaching basic standards of discipline by batting in blue shoes on Monday night.