IAN Austin's World Cup hopes were on the line at Old Trafford today.

The Lancashire all-rounder, who has pulled out of the last two Championship matches with a thigh strain, was playing for the second team in a one-day game against Northants in front of England coach David Lloyd.

If he comes through that, Austin will probably play in Lancashire's National League match at Gloucestershire on Sunday before linking up with the England squad next week.

Lancashire continued to struggle without him against the champions Leicestershire yesterday, although there was better World Cup news for England with Andy Flintoff continuing his superb form.

Flintoff, who smashed 143 from 66 balls in the National League against Essex last Sunday, added 86 from 128 balls yesterday, with 11 fours and two sixes off his World Cup team mates Alan Mullally and Vince Wells.

It was a good job for Lancashire that he did, as the rest of their batsmen struggled and they only scraped past the follow-on target of 239 by two runs.

Lancashire faced an uphill struggle to avoid defeat with the home side resuming today with a lead of 251.

Cyril Washbrook, one of Lancashire's greatest-ever players, has died at the age of 84. Washbrook was the last surviving member of Lancashire's 1934 Championship-winning side and played 37 Tests for England and scored 27,863 runs for Lancashire between 1933 and 1959.

Lancashire chairman Jack Simmons led the tributes, saying today: "He represented Lancashire for over half a century as a player, captain, manager, committee member and president and he led the club into the modern era."

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