LANCASHIRE V SURREY at Old Trafford (LVCC2), 14-17 SEPTEMBER 2015

First meets second in the game that could determine who will go up as Division Two winners next season. Since drawing with Surrey at the Oval, back in June, Lancashire have won three and drawn four in the County Championship, while Surrey have notched up six victories out of eight.

Lancashire welcome back James Anderson, while, at wicketkeeper, Durham stalwart Phil Mustard has been drafted in to fill in for the injured Alex Davies (knee). And the Red Rose could do with some freshening up given the broken hand suffered by Kyle Jarvis (62 championship wickets at 24.72) and the batting form of Ashwell Prince and Alviro Petersen in recent weeks. Okay, so Prince and Petersen still average 72.15 and 47.05 in this year's County Championship, but it was the steadfastness of skipper Steven Croft that spared Lancashire's blushes against Kent at Canterbury last time out.

Anderson's participation is a godsend for Lancashire, not least because, of his likely support cast, only off-spinner Arron Lilley (24 championship wickets at 24.25) and slow left-armer Simon Kerrigan (36 wickets at 29.24) are in any real form with the ball. James Anderson has only played in two four-dayers against Surrey, the last being at the Oval in 2003 when he took 5-61 and 1-72 and, of course, on debut at Old Trafford in 2002, which he marked with the scalp of Mark Ramprakash, first ball, in the visitors' second dig.

If he plays, Arun Harinath will start the game 86 runs shy of the 3,000-mark in first-class cricket. In terms of in-season landmarks, Rory Burns has 895 f-c runs and Zafar Ansari 44 wickets. Phil Mustard is also set to make his Lancashire debut.

Jade Dernbach is nursing a recurrence of the calf strain that has plagued him since overcoming an early season side issue, so misses out. However, Zafar Ansari (hamstring) and James Burke (back) both make the 13-man squad for Old Trafford; as does Sam Curran, who, presumably, has got his mother to write a note to school asking to miss further lessons. Jason Roy is available again after another spell away with England. Matt Dunn and Arun Harinath appear to be travelling as cover.

Lancashire have not played host to Surrey at Old Trafford since 2007, when the visitors lost by seven wickets. But have you seen the forecast! For the sake of Surrey's travelling support I hope the weathermen have got it completely wrong, but it is Manchester and it is the third week of September. Twenty five years ago we wouldn't even have been playing at this time. Prediction: If, as seems likely, the rain lops a day or more off this contest, there can only be one outcome - and that's a draw.

K Brown, H Hameed, A Petersen, A Prince, S Croft (capt), A Lilley, P Mustard (wk), J Clark, T Bailey, J Anderson and S Kerrigan.

Jeff Evans and Russell Evans.

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