Ganguly seeks return to county cricket

Sourav Ganguly clearly has more pressing matters on his mind at present, but according to an interview in the launch edition of Spin magazine, which is published today, once the India-Pakistan Test and one-day series is out of the way, he is contemplating a return to county cricket.

One can only assume that Lancashire is not among Ganguly's favoured destinations, for he endured a memorably miserable stint there in the 2000 season, when he scored just 644 runs in 13 matches at an average of 33.89, and fell out with key members of the dressing-room on account of an attitude that has earned him the sobriquet "Lord Snooty" in some quarters. On one occasion in a floodlit one-day game at Old Trafford, he raised his bat towards the team balcony upon reaching a half-century, only to discover there was nobody there.

And yet, that experience has not dented his enthusiasm for county cricket. "I'll play anywhere and for anybody, I'm not fussed where, I just want to play a season of county cricket again," he told Spin. "The last time I played county cricket, I didn't do as well as I do in international cricket, so I've got something to prove."

For the time being, Ganguly, 32, is fully focused on Pakistan's visit to India, their first for six years. The series, which will consist of three Tests and five one-day internationals, gets underway on March 4.

Thereafter, he will be on the lookout for a vacancy on the county circuit, although at this late stage, it will probably have to be a short-term berth. According the The Times newspaper, Somerset were interested in the possibility of him being their captain for 2005, but eventually plumped for Graeme Smith.

International call-ups are sure to impinge upon the overseas players that have already been named, so Ganguly was keen to emphasise that India's commitments this coming season are light. "We have a one-day tournament in Sri Lanka for two weeks [in August], but apart from that I'm available all season."