LANCASHIRE will be close to full strength for the Norwich Union National League game against Worcestershire at Old Trafford tomorrow after another u-turn by Lord's.
The club were furious on Tuesday when Mike Atherton, Andy Flintoff and Chris Schofield returned from the Second Test at Trent Bridge and had been told not to play this weekend.
But Atherton was ruled out of the Championship victory over Hampshire with his tummy trouble and Schofield did not bowl an over on a seamers' pitch.
So the England management decided yesterday that another game would do all the Test team good before taking on the West Indies on Thursday, and all three will play at Old Trafford -- as well as Worcestershire's Graeme Hick.
Lancashire also welcome back Sourav Ganguly from the Asia Cup and Neil Fairbrother will definitely play despite his calf problem, leaving only long-term injury absentee Peter Martin out of the first choice team.
Lightning need all their big guns for a showdown with the Royals, led by Aussie pace ace Glenn McGrath, as they try to climb away from the bottom of the table -- and relegation danger -- to mount another title challenge. Lancashire (from): Atherton, Crawley, Flintoff, Ganguly, Fairbrother, Lloyd, Hegg, Schofield, Austin, Chapple, Smethurst, Watkinson.
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