LANCASHIRE refused to press the panic button today after the massive blow of losing coach David Lloyd to England.

The Old Trafford club will be without their chief motivator this summer while he attempts to lead England out of the Test doldrums.

And Test call-ups will also rob them of Wasim Akram, Mike Atherton, Peter Martin and possibly others like John Crawley and Jason Gallian, who have long been championed by Lloyd as England stars of the future.

But Lancashire's chief executive John Bower said: "We will sit down and calmly discuss all the options.

"Lancashire have provided the coach and captain for England and we are extremely proud of that.

"England's gain might be our loss, but I am sure everyone connected with the club will pull together to get through it."

Lancashire could pull in temporary coaches such as former England pacemen Peter Lever and Paul Allott or they could hand extra responsibility to skipper Mike Watkinson and four other players with captaincy experience, Neil Fairbrother, Warren Hegg, Crawley and Gallian.

Lloyd's seat will be kept warm for him in case the England job doesn't work out and Lancashire will review the situation next winter. Accrington's Lloyd said today: "The club have made a magnificent gesture, both to me and to English cricket. There was no question of them standing in my way because they are a county who have regard to the wider issues of the game."

England's new team boss will take up his duties when he returns from Lancashire's pre-season trip to Jamaica, and he promised a fresh start for the players who flopped so badly last winter.

"It's a clean sheet for everyone as far as I am concerned," he said. "Their performances recently have to be taken in the context that they have had to play too much cricket. They were absolutely drained at the end of the South African tour and in no shape for the World Cup.

"I have plenty of ideas as to how to improve things but the decisions are not mine alone - I will have to talk them through with the captain and chairman of selectors.

"The main thing is solidarity. We must all back each other. And the players can rest assured I will give them every support and encouragement if they show 100 per cent commitment and enthusiasm."

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