CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

All eyes will be on Andy Flintoff as Lancashire aim to pile on the misery for Roses rivals Yorkshire at Old Trafford tonight.

Flintoff is expected to play despite suffering a thumb injury in the first leg of the floodlit National League double header at Headingley last Thursday - when Lightning moved top of the table and knocked Yorkshire out of title contention.

But the big question surrounding Freddie is will he stay or will he go? If the Lightning players still walked out to music in floodlit matches, Flintoff would surely choose the Clash.

He had further contract talks with chairman Jack Simmons yesterday following the weekend news that he has ben targeted by Hampshire and Sussex, but no announcement is expected for another week with the England and Wales Cricket Board still considering whether to employ Test contenders on central contracts.

Although Flintoff missed out of the squad for this week's fourth Test against New Zealand at the Oval, with the selectors preferring former Lancashire all-rounder Ronnie Irani and Yorkshire's Gavin Hamilton apparently also above Freddie in the pecking order, he is still a strong candidate for the winter tour of South Africa if he can finish the season with some consistent scores.

And if Flintoff received a contract from Lord's, it would throw his negotiations with Lancashire back to square one.

After making it clear that he wants to stay at Old Trafford, Freddie can expect a Roy Keane style reception from the Lancashire supporters tonight with the club hoping for a crowd of at least 10,000.

Mike Atherton has linked up with England so Mark Chilton comes into the Lancashire squad, while Yorkshire are without their Test call-up Chris Silverwood as well as the injured Darren Gough.

Aussie opener Greg Blewett, who starred with the ball in Yorkshire's NatWest quarter final victory at Old Trafford last month, has left for his country's training camp ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka, while Muttiah Muralitharan will be making his farewell appearance for Lancashire.

But a bigger problem for the Tykes is morale after Sunday's NatWest Trophy semi-final defeat by Gloucestershire removed their one remaining hope of silverware this summer when at one stage they had been on course for a treble.