Harmison free to lead Durham's attack in C & G Trophy clash

After proving his readiness for an England return by taking four for 19 in 11 overs against Sussex on Wednesday, it was felt he might be required to rest ahead of the third Test against Sri Lanka next Thursday.

But if he does return to the England side at Trent Bridge it is not likely to be at the expense of Liam Plunkett.

Apart from removing three of Sri Lanka's top four at Edgbaston on Thursday, England feel they need his batting ability at No 8, at least until Ashley Giles returns.

Durham coach Martyn Moxon said: "I haven't been told whether the selectors are thinking about picking Steve for Trent Bridge, but they have said we can play him on Monday. He bowled very well on Wednesday, which was very pleasing.

"I wasn't disappointed with our efforts in the field against Sussex, but obviously the batting wasn't up to scratch."

Mushtaq Ahmed took ten for 37 in the match and although he is listed as a leg-spinner, he did the damage with top-spinners and googlies.

"We were probably expecting more turn from him," said Moxon. "It was the ball skidding on which seemed to cause the problems.

"We had been trying for two weeks to get some video footage of him in action, but at the moment we are at the mercy of other counties and Sussex were not keen to supply it.

"Some of us have been videoing every ball for a few years but now the ECB have forked out a lot of money for every county to do it. The idea is that every game will be held in a central bank and we can all have access to it. But the central bank hasn't been set up yet."

With the A team being restricted to one-and-a-half days of action in Canterbury this week, while the first-team match was over in something similar, Moxon faces a selection dilemma ahead of next week's visit to Oxford University.

He wants to see members of the full-time staff in action who haven't appeared in the first team this season, but there are some in the senior side who could benefit from time at the crease.

"We'll probably take Gareth Breese but I also want to look at Gary Scott, James Lowe, Kyle Coetzer and Ben Harmison," said Moxon.

Mark Davies will also play and left-arm spinner Graeme Bridge can expect to be involved after making only one first-class appearance last season, in which he bowled three overs.

Nothing short of a Roses victory in glorious weather will completely satisfy Yorkshire when they take on table-toppers Lancashire at Headingley tomorrow in the C & G Trophy.

Two rain-ruined home games, each yielding only a point, have left Yorkshire with just four points from four matches and it is absolutely essential they beat Lancashire to narrow the gap and keep the leaders within their sights.

If they can pull out all the stops tomorrow they should go on to make it a Bank Holiday weekend double celebration because they are at home again on Monday to Scotland.

Fine weather is almost as important as beating Lancashire because rain-wrecked matches so far this season have cost cash-strapped Yorkshire in the region of £20,000 and they need some bumper gates to make up for the losses.

There had been a glimmer of hope in the Yorkshire camp that Michael Vaughan might have been able to pronounce himself fit for one or both of the C&G games but it does not seem as if he has quite reached the stage where he is ready for action.

How Yorkshire would love to have had Vaughan back and in the same sort of vintage form that brought him an unbeaten 116 in the C&G Trophy quarter-final clash with Lancashire at Old Trafford only two years ago, an innings which guided Yorkshire home by three wickets.

Vaughan is making excellent progress within the three-month timescale for the rehab work on his knee but he has to feel fully confident before he can make himself available for Yorkshire.

It may be that after further training while with England at Edgbaston, Vaughan will be ready to make his comeback in the Championship match against Hampshire at Headingley next Wednesday.