MIKE Atherton can start preparing to face Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock in the First Test at Edgbaston on June 4.

The former England skipper confirmed the return to form he had shown with 98 in Lancashire's Sunday victory over Derbyshire at Old Trafford by holding their innings together on the first day of the Championship match against Kent at Canterbury yesterday.

He resumed today on 42 from 102 balls, with Lancashire on 90-3 in reply to Kent's 186.

It took Atherton 50 balls to hit a boundary, pulling Mark Ealham for four, but that won't worry David Lloyd and the England selectors. They just wanted Athers to show some sort of form to allow them to pick him for the Tests. After all, after his favour innings in Johannesburg, he is the English batsman the South Africans most respect.

Another man who must have been pleased to see Atherton scoring runs yesterday was Graham Lloyd. He was left out of the Lancashire team, along with Glen Chapple, to make way for two spinners in Mike Watkinson and Gary Keedy, and with Lancashire keen to give Andy Flintoff and Nathan Wood a long run in the first team, might have faced a long wait to get back in.

But Lancashire are away at Northants during the First Test, and Lloyd is the obvious choice to take Atherton's place.

"It was a very difficult decision to leave Bumble and Glen out, but we did it for the sake of the team," explained coach Dav Whatmore.

The decision paid off as Lancashire took maximum bowling points after Kent had won the toss and chosen to bat. Wasim Akram was unlucky not to take one wicket in a top class opening spell, but with two each for Peter Martin and Ian Autin as the ball swung around on a hot morning, Kent slipped to 73-6.

Ealham led a recovery with 73 including 10 fours and a six, pulled off Austin over square leg, and in the end Lancashire's decision to pick the spinners was justified as Watkinson and Keedy polished off three of the last four wickets, Martin claiming the other to end with 3-37.

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