NatWest Trophy quarter-final preview

FORGET Star Wars - stand by for Spin Wars at Old Trafford tomorrow.

Both Lancashire and Yorkshire have included three spinners in their squads for tomorrow's NatWest Trophy quarter final.

And no prizes for guessing who Yorkshire view as the Phantom Menace. Muttiah Muralitharan is determined to help Lancashire move within one step of Lord's before returning home to Sri Lanka next month.

But he is joined in the Lancashire squad by two more off-spinners - Mike Watkinson, who is likely to open the batting with Mike Atherton, and also Gary Yates.

Yates, a key figure in Lancashire's one day successs for the last few years, has been unluckily squeezed out of the team in the last month by the arrival of Murali.

He has missed out on the previous two rounds of the NatWest, one Super Cup tie and four CGU National League fixtures - even though he took 3-36 in each of his last two appearances.

But he is set for a recall with the controversial Old Trafford pitch expected to favour the spinners.

Lancashire have dismissed fears of a repeat of the last one day game at Old Trafford, the floodlit clash with Warwickshire last Monday, when the pitch was badly cracked with green patches.

Tomorrow's game will be played on a track last used for the Worl Cup Super Six game between Australia and West Indies in June. And contrary to speculation, Lord's pitch inspector Harry Brind did not even look at it on his routine trip to Old Trafford yesterday to check the wicket for next week's third Test. Bt it is still likely to be slow, because it was only relaid 18 months or so ago, so both teams are looking to spin.

Yorkshire have called up slow left armer Ian Fisher and also off spinner James Middlebrook, with Worsley-born opener Michael Vaughan also available to bowl off spin.

They are without Darren Gough because of his calf injury so young left arm paceman Paul Hutchison comes into the squad after making his first appearance, since suffering a back problem on the England A tour last winter, at Scarborough on Sunday.

Yorkshire are aiming for revenge after suffering three defeats by Lancashire in one day knockout matches at Old Trafford in the last three years - two semi finals in 1996, and a NatWest second round tie last summer.

"It would certainly be nice to put one over on Lancashire for a change," admitted their coach Martyn Moxon. "A lot of the lads in our team have been on the wrong side at Old Trafford a few times over the years. Let's hope that this time it's our turn."

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