Flight plan for Bevan

As if the scent of a trophy was not enough incentive for Yorkshire, the fact that they will be seeking revenge over their Roses rivals, Lancashire, as well as a place in the final of the NatWest Trophy at Old Trafford today means they will spare no effort or expense.

Yorkshire, desperate not to be without Michael Bevan, are laying on a helicopter at an undisclosed cost to fly the Australian more than 200 miles to Heathrow after the match so he can link up with his national squad for a tour of Sri Lanka.

Essex face a similar but less dramatic problem to allow Stuart Law to bring his considerable ability to bear on their semi-final against Surrey. Law, however, has a much easier journey to make from The Oval.

Both counties must take care over playing their Australians, who could be back in England by the end of the week if the Sri Lanka tour is cancelled because of security fears. They will not want to risk being left a man short if the matches are forced into a second day by bad weather. "We'll wait until we see what the weather is like before deciding whether to play Michael," said Yorkshire's captain, David Byas, who has put 23-year- old Richard Kettleborough on standby for his NatWest debut.

Essex are likely to call on Jonathan Lewis if Law misses the match. Their captain, Paul Prichard, said: "Stuart's absence would be a big blow but we still have plenty of quality and experience to win."