Pressure on youth to perform

Championship Division 1 Nat League Division 1 Captain Mark Chilton Coach Mike Watkinson Overseas Players Brad Hodge In Luke Sutton Out Warren Hegg (retired) Stephen Crook Tim Rees

Revolving door
Luke Sutton arrives to replace Warren Hegg as keeper. Several players who featured in last year's overseas merry-go-round (Muttiah Muralitharan, Andrew Symonds, Marcus North, Murali Kartik) are not expected to reappear. Nor is Steven Crook.

Winter wonderland
The new physiologist Sam Bradley, a lifelong Warwickshire supporter recruited from the ECB Academy at Loughborough, is reported to have once taken part in a marathon ... dressed as a nurse.

Strengths
Mal Loye and Iain Sutcliffe passed 1,000 Championship runs last year and should feature alongside Mark Chilton, Brad Hodge, Stuart Law and Luke Sutton in a top order that looks full of runs.

Weaknesses
Why only one overseas player? And, bizarrely, Lancashire's home record in the Championship leaves plenty to be desired. In the last four years they have won only five times at Old Trafford while winning 17 away from Manchester. Must do better at headquarters.

Best-case scenario
More silverware, probably of the one-day variety, even though England calls will probably deprive them of James Anderson as well as Andrew Flintoff for much of the season.

Worst-case scenario
A first outright Championship since 1934 remains the Holy Grail. The burden of expectation has affected the players before, most recently in 2004, and may do so again. And a worrying capacity to fluff their lines on the big occasion, as in last year's C&G semi and Twenty20 final, could hit their one-day ambitions too.

Young one to watch
Sajid Mahmood. England called up the Bolton-born 24-year-old for the one-day series in India, despite a moderate 2005 in which he collected only 11 wickets in six Championship appearances. Needs to convert potential into performance.

Key man
Gary Keedy. After a promising start the left-arm spinner's 2005 campaign was cut short by a hand injury after eight Championship matches. In the absence of Muralitharan he will have an important role to play.

What they say
"I am looking for more first-team performances from our young players," says the cricket manager Mike Watkinson. "For the time being we are keeping our options open about a second overseas man and I'm throwing out a challenge to the young players to be ready to take their chance."

Mark Wagh
Due a trophy? A big club whose present team have struggled to write their own chapter in the history books. Quality players in all departments. They should be a potent threat in the Championship but will need to find one-day runs.

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