Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle is set to
make his Lancashire debut as they take on Derbyshire at the 3aaa County Ground
this Sunday for their County Championship curtain-raiser.
This will be the first time the two sides have met
in a first-class game for nearly ten years with the latest victory going to
Lancashire in June 2005.
Lancashire have named a 13-man squad for Sunday's
match which also includes winter acquisitions Alviro Petersen and Nathan Buck,
who both played well against Leeds-Bradford MCCU in the Red Rose's pre-season
friendly at Emirates Old Trafford.
Lancashire's 13-man squad: Tom Smith (C), Tom
Bailey, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Alex Davies (W), Paul Horton,
Kyle Jarvis, Simon Kerrigan, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince, Luis Reece, Peter
Siddle.
Siddle is available for a maximum of just
four matches for the Red Rose before he joins his Australian teammates for
their tour of West Indies and then the Ashes later this summer.
The visitors aim to start their season in Division Two with a win in order to aid their bid for promotion, but they face a
difficult start against promotion contenders Derbyshire, who have also named a
13-man team for the match.
Derbyshire's 13-man squad: Billy
Godleman, Ben Slater, Martin Guptill, Wayne Madsen (C), Wes
Durston, Chesney Hughes, Shiv Thakor, Alex Hughes, Harvey Hosein
(W), Tom Taylor, Ben Cotton, Tony Palladino, Mark Footitt.
Their side includes the hard-hitting New Zealand
batsman Guptill who continued his fine form from the World Cup, as he smashed
161 from 108 balls to help Derbyshire to a mammoth innings and 264-run win over
Cambridge MCCU.
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| Alviro Petersen could also make his Championship debut for Lancashire this Sunday. |
Captain Madsen is a consistent run-scorer for the
county and dangerous batsman are complimented by talented bowlers,
including Mark Footit who claimed 82 wickets in Championship cricket alone
last season.
Albeit against Cambridge MCCU, Derbyshire's
crushing victory in their pre-season friendly demonstrated their potential
to contend in four-day cricket this season, and promotion will be a realistic
target for Graeme Welch's side after finishing fourth in Division Two last
time around.
Lancashire have enjoyed a return to form with the
bat, scoring 499 and 482 against Somerset and Leeds-Bradford MCCU respectively
in their pre-season matches and the inclusion of Siddle should give them the
fire power they need to do damage with the ball in the second division.
A top-order containing veterans Prince and Petersen
is also likely to be tough for any opposition and both batsmen have enjoyed
good pre-season form for the Red Rose.
With the only two matches of the inaugural round of
fixtures in the second division both ending in draws, victory for either side
could launch them to the top of the table.
The sides should expect a typically cold start to
the season on Sunday although conditions will improve throughout the match with
sunshine becoming a more permanent feature as early as Day Two. Rain is not
expected to be a problem at any stage, but for a full picture of the weather
for the match click here.
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