LANCASHIRE'S player of the year Andrew Symonds has refused to commit himself to a full season of county cricket.

The Queensland all-rounder, who has become a regular for the Test team, said he wanted to cement his place with his national side and didn't want to commit to a full English summer.

Symonds spent the second half of last season at Lancashire and proved a huge hit, helping them to the final of the Twenty20 Cup and the County Championship Second Division title, averaging 62 with the bat.

Between now and the start of the county season, Australia play five one-day internationals and a three-Test series in South Africa, and are due to play Bangladesh in two Tests and three one-dayers in the opening weeks of the County Championship campaign.

Lancashire's manager Mike Watkinson explained that Symonds had been keen to come back but it was his burning ambition to play Test cricket and he now wanted to cement the place he has earned in the Aussie side.

Lancashire, who have Symonds' Aussie team-mate Brad Hodge returning for the new campaign, are keeping their options open and the situation might change during the season.