They found nobody. Four former Yorkshire captains were on the list but no major figure, and certainly not the man on the minds of many, Allan Border.

Now Lancashire have thrown wide their net in the search for a head coach, a motivator, ``preferably with international experience''. Border's name has been tossed around Old Trafford, too, along with those of Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and just about anybody else who is anybody in the game.

The thinking, as at Yorkshire, is that a top player, an outstanding captain, would make a successful county coach, though there is hardly any evidence to support this view.

John Stanworth, who was appointed acting coach at the beginning of the season when David Lloyd was recruited by England, has been told that a head coach will be appointed for next year, but his own senior coaching position at Old Trafford will continue.

``Stanworth has done a super job,'' said chairman Bob Bennett, ``but we're looking for someone with international experience, someone who in the longer run can stamp his authority in the dressing room.''

The inference is clear. Stanworth, who played 44 first-team matches for the county between 1983 and 1992, could have problems with Lancashire's hive of strong personalities, including six Test players.

Yet it is the captain whose authority has been supreme through the years, not just at Old Trafford, but at just about every other county. Yorkshire, who have scoured the world, have left David Byas in charge this summer. And he has done just fine.

Lancashire should have little need to look outside for authority in a dressing room which next year will contain the captain of Pakistan as well as the captain of England. Mike Atherton is not interested in being Lancashire's captain while he leads England. But what greater authority could there be in the dressing room than that of Wasim Akram?

If Lancashire want respect and control in the dressing room they do not have to search the world. They have it in Wasim, one of the most respected figures in the game. His appointment as captain would not only save Lancashire money, it would allow them to rethink and define the role of coach in positive, practical terms.

When Leicestershire were searching for somebody to provide fresh impetus in 1990, they first went for Ray Illingworth, who refused, then signed Australia coach Bobby Simpson, a man with an unquestionable pedigree. As Wisden said: ``The talents that guided Australia to their Ashes triumph in 1989 did not translate to running an English county side.''