Alastair Cook and Ravinder Bopara are available again for selection when Essex take on Glamorgan in their Championship duel starting at Chelmsford tomorrow.
They return to the squad after appearing for England Under-l9 in a series of matches against Bangladesh.
But they will have to wait until in the morning to discover whether they make the final 11.
During Cook's absence, Paul Grayson has returned to show he is still a force as an opener.
In six trips to the middle he has scored 262 at an average of just over 52 and those figures are designed to persuade head coach Graham Gooch and skipper Ronnie Irani that he should continue to open the innings with the in-form Will Jefferson.
Even so there is every chance that both Cook and Bopara will lock horns against the Welsh county.
Aftab Habib's place in the middle order seems in danger following a lapse in form that has seen him fail to top 20 in four of his last five Championship innings.
If Cook was restored as Jefferson's partner, Grayson and Bopara could both land a spot in the top middle order.
Published Wednesday September 1, 2004
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