DARREN Gough has offered to take on the England captaincy until Nasser Hussain returns from injury but admits he does not expect to get asked.

The England and Wales Cricket Board are considering who to turn to as a stand-in for Hussain for at least the second Test at Lord's, which starts on Thursday week.

Former skippers Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart and Marcus Trescothick are the leading contenders for the job.

But Gough also revealed that he would like to tackle the job himself on a short-term basis.

"They could give it to somebody who will play with a smile and not worry about any pressures at all, who will just get on with the job and do it for the laugh."

It is not something I would want to do full-time but, until Nasser Hussain came back, it would be a pleasure to get asked.

"But I doubt that will happen," added Gough. Asked if he thought Somerset opener Trescothick could handle the job, he said: "For a one-off Test there is a lot of pressure on him to do it. I think he will be a future England captain, definitely."

Meanwhile Gough and Craig White have a double incentive for going flat out for Yorkshire at Headingley tomorrow in the televised Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy fourth round match with Surrey.

As well as wanting to take Yorkshire through to the quarter-finals at the expense of their old rivals, the pair need to improve their own form ahead of the second Test at Lord's next week.

England must sharpen up after their drubbing by an innings and 118 runs at Edgbaston but Gough and White have only tomorrow's match and Sunday's coloured clothing game against Leicestershire at Scarborough in which to prepare.

Yorkshire are anxiously awaiting the results of the scan on Darren Lehmann's injured right knee but it will have to be something pretty serious to keep the Australian out.

He suffered soft tissue damage while tumbling in the field at Northampton on Friday but reported some improvement over the weekend and the scan has been taken to make sure they is no internal problem.

Lehmann's presence in the side is vital, particularly as Yorkshire are without two of their England players in Michael Vaughan, who has undergone keyhole surgery on his knee, and Matthew Hoggard, who has a stress fracture in his foot.

Yorkshire have no shortage of fast bowlers, however, with Chris Silverwood returning following the death of his mother last week, and it will be interesting to see if a place can be found for Steven Kirby who continues to bowl with a killer's instinct.

Although Surrey will be without the injured Graham Thorpe they will not be far from full strength with Alec Stewart, Mark Butcher and Ian Ward all returning after the Test.

But Surrey will have to concentrate hard in order to stop their minds wandering to this Saturday's Benson and Hedges Cup final when they take on Gloucestershire at Lord's.

Yorkshire would be in the final themselves if Gloucestershire had not upset their plans in the semi-final but that defeat has only made skipper David Byas more determined to take his team to Lord's this season via another route.

Yorkshire (v Surrey) from: Byas, Lumb, Wood, Lehmann, Craven, White, Fellows, Hamilton, Blakey, Dawson, Silverwood, Gough, Sidebottom, Kirby.

Updated: 15:37 Tuesday, July 10, 2001