England captain Michael Vaughan has been awarded an extended break at the start of the domestic season in April after a gruelling winter in southern Africa.

The ECB has decided to give him the first three weeks of the season off, which means his first game for Yorkshire will be the Championship fixture against Northamptonshire at Headingley on May 6, only two weeks before he sheds the White Rose for England colours, and the two-Test series with Bangladesh.

That means he will only play two county games before the 1st Test at Lord's on May 26. But many of his England colleagues will have been much busier.

Lancashire's out-of-sorts seam bowler James Anderson gets some much needed cricket having had a miserable winter having been cleared by coach Duncan Fletcher to play in all his county's games. He badly needs time in the middle with the ball in his hand, rather than more time spent in the nets, and has a clear month to rediscover his confidence and form.

Steve Harmison, Andrew Strauss, Marcus Trescothick and Graham Thorpe will be available for Championship games, but will laos be available for C&G Trophy games, as will Ashley Giles, although he misses Warwickshire's opening first-class fixture.

Mark Butcher is expected to will miss the start of the season after a wrist operation, but will then be available for Surrey, while Andrew Flintoff, who is not likely to feature for England against Bangladesh, can play for Lancashire once fit after ankle surgery as he prepares for the Ashes series in the second half of July.

James Anderson (Lancashire)
Available for all county cricket

Mark Butcher (Surrey)
Available once fully fit

Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire)
Available once fully fit

Ashley Giles (Warwickshire)
Championship matches from Apr 13 and C&G Trophy on May 17

Steve Harmison (Durham)
Championship matches and C&G Trophy on May 17

Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)
Available for all county cricket from Apr 13

Geraint Jones (Kent)
Available for all county cricket from Apr 17

Simon Jones (Glamorgan)
Available for all county cricket

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)
Championship matches from Apr 20 and C&G Trophy on May 17

Marcus Trescothick (Somerset)
Championship matches and C&G Trophy on May 4 and May 17

Graham Thorpe (Surrey)
Championship matches and C&G Trophy on May 17

Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)
Championship matches on May 6 & May 11 and C&G Trophy on May 17

16 Mar, 2005