By Simon Mann Test Match Special commentator

Lancashire enjoyed a mini-renaissance last summer after narrowly avoiding relegation in 2001.

This summer could be even better for them and last season's fourth place is the minimum they should expect in the Championship.

Harbhajan Singh's injury is a blow to Lancashire on the eve of the season

But they have been dealt a blow before the start of the season with Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh suffering from a finger injury.

It is now known how many games he will absent for but his presence will be missed.

Lancashire's second overseas player Stuart Law did not disappoint in his first season.

Law has been a banker for most of his time in county cricket and he scored 1,216 runs at an average of 52.86 at Lancashire last year.

The advantage of Law is he is reliable and always available. He has no international commitments to distract him.

Lancashire have rebuilt sensibly over the winter after the departures of the three of the club's senior figures - David Byas, Neil Fairbrother and Graham Lloyd.

The batting line-up should be stronger with the arrival of Mal Loye and Iain Sutcliffe.

Loye has been a frustratingly inconsistent player over the years but four centuries last summer and an average of 55.72 in 2001 demonstrates that he does have ability.

Sutcliffe turned down the captaincy of Leicestershire to come to Old Trafford and he is a capable county player, who was 11th in the list of leading First Division run-scorers last season.

LANCASHIRE 2003 Coach: Mike Watkinson Captain: Warren Hegg Overseas players: Stuart Law, Harbhajan Singh Players in: Iain Sutcliffe, Mal Loye Players out: Neil Fairbrother, David Byas, Graeme Lloyd, Mike Smethurst

With everyone available, Lancashire have a formidable pace attack with James Anderson, Andrew Flintoff, Glen Chapple, Peter Martin and Kyle Hogg providing some enticing options for captain Warren Hegg.

But he knows it is unlikely to work out like that as Anderson's rapid rise means he is almost certain to make his Test debut this summer and could be missing for large parts of the season.

He took 46 wickets at 20.30 in 11 championship games last summer. It will be a big hole to fill.

The main beneficiary will be 19 year-old Hogg, another promising pace-bowler, who toured Sri Lanka with the England Academy.

The reliable pairing of Chapple and Martin will again be expected to take the majority of the wickets.

If they can emulate last season's success - with 107 dismissals between them - then Lancashire could become an irritant to the favourites Surrey.