James Anderson has been named in a 14-man squad for Lancashire's crucial LV= County Championship fixture against Surrey at Emirates Old Trafford starting on Monday.
England's leading wicket-taker in Test history has been made available and will play in his first game for Lancashire since he featured against Sussex at Hove in September 2014.
On that occasion, Lancashire were involved in a relegation battle, but they face a very different challenge on home soil this Monday. Surrey sit top of Division Two with a lead of five points over Lancashire, who could secure a second trophy of the season if they have a strong finish to the four-day campaign.
Lancashire will, however, be without wicketkeeper Alex Davies, who has failed to overcome a knee injury suffered at Finals Day, with Durham's Phil Mustard being recruited as emergency cover for the 21-year-old.
Mustard, 32, has scored 7,557 first-class runs in his career, but he has fallen out of favour as first-choice keeper at Chester-le-Street. Michael Richardson has claimed 42 dismissals this season for Durham while Mustard has scored only 51 runs in seven innings in four-day cricket.
Surrey leapfrogged Lancashire with an innings victory against Derbyshire when their captain Gareth Batty claimed a hat-trick to seal victory for his side. Lancashire also secured first-division status in their latest four-day outing, although promotion came in a much more understated fashion with a draw at Canterbury.
Key Players:
Lancashire are feeling the strain in their bowling department with a number of injuries threatening their bid for the Division Two title and so the timely availability of James Anderson will bring a timely boost to their ranks. Anderson's record of 413 Test wickets is a record for England and his talents with the red ball could play a crucial role for the Red Rose in this top-of-the-table clash with Surrey.
Anderson has not featured for Lancashire since this time last season when he played against Sussex at Hove, but his first-class record of 697 wickets at an average of 27.06 makes him one of the most feared new-ball bowlers in world cricket.
Kumar Sangakkara's record and reputation in all formats of the cricket has earned him a spot among the greatest batsman to have ever played the game. He has been a dedicated servant for Surrey this season, guiding them to the final of the One-Day Cup after his innings of 166 in the semi-final against Nottinghamshire.
His performances in red-ball cricket has seen a similarly impressive return for the Sri-Lanakn veteran, who has accumulated 633 runs at an average of 42.20, with his highest contribution of 149 coming on debut against Glamorgan earlier this season. Sangakkara has scored more than 18,000 first class runs.
Team News:
Lancashire 14-man squad: Steven Croft (c), James Anderson, Tom Bailey, Karl Brown, Glen Chapple, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Simon Kerrigan, Toby Lester, Arron Lilley, Phil Mustard (w/k), Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Ashwell Prince.
Surrey 13-man squad: Gareth Batty (c), Zafar Ansari, James Burke, Rory Burns, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Steven Davies, Matt Dunn, Ben Foakes, Arun Harinath, Jason Roy, Kumar Sangakkara, Gary Wilson.
Match Information:
Weather and conditions: As the first and second One-Day International will have demonstrated, Old Trafford produces prodigious turn and so both sides will be keen to play a second spinner. This important fixture is, however, set to be plagued by bad weather, a situation will would benefit the visitors more given their slender lead at the top of the second division. For a full weather forecast, click here.
Ground: Emirates Old Trafford
Start time: 10.30am
Umpires: TBC
Match odds (Sky Bet): Lancashire 8/11, Surrey 1/1
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