WHAT forward planning, if any, are Yorkshire doing to resolve the problem of who will be appointed David Byas's successor as first team captain?

The Kilham farmer is not about to be ditched but a number of issues have combined recently to make it essential that Yorkshire know who the heir to the throne will be.

Apart from anything else, the powerful left-hander will be 37 next month and it would be foolish to think that he can go on for ever - even if he should want to.

Then there is his own batting form, which had been so disappointing this season that he rightly decided to drop down the order against Somerset at Scarborough this week to see if he could make runs at No 5 - which he did by scoring a first innings 84.

The move also allowed Yorkshire to bring in Simon Widdup as opener and he may now be given an extended run with Byas continuing to come in later in the innings.

But what happens if Byas is unable to entirely get over the depressing sequence which up to the Somerset match had brought him only 281 Championship runs in 14 innings at an average of 20.07 - and without a single half-century before this game?

When Anthony McGrath was moved out of the opener's spot a couple of years ago and could not make runs lower down the order, he was dropped from the first team.

And it's been a similar story for Matthew Wood who has moved up and down the batting list in an attempt to regain the golden touch of his debut summer in 1998.

He, too, was relegated to the second team this week and faces another period of rehabilitation.

It's a different situation for Byas, however, partly because of his position as captain and partly because of his age. Dropping down into the second team would serve no useful purpose.

Another factor is Byas's own attitude and thinking about what to do if Yorkshire's general fall from grace continues and they again end a season without any silverware to show for their efforts.

This is his fifth season in charge and for a man who so badly craves success for his team he may feel that his energy batteries are beginning to run a bit flat.

Unlike most first class cricketers these days, Byas is unlikely to want to drag his career on until he is told that his services are no longer required.

When he feels the time is right, he will almost certainly announce his retirement and go back to the family farm.

In the meantime, one can only hope that both Byas and Yorkshire will get their act together again.

Fortunately, they have managed to get themselves back on track at Scarborough this week, so that a tilt at the Championship title is still feasible this summer.

Nothing would give Byas more joy in his benefit season than for Yorkshire to be the first Champions of the new millennium - and in the first year of the changed format of two divisions.

But the question of who will succeed him as captain cannot be evaded and the player with the greatest claim must be the Aussie overseas star, Darren Lehmann.

He has already taken over as captain of his State side, South Australia, and his knowledge of first class cricket at all levels is immense.

More importantly, he is totally at ease with his adopted county and is a popular and respected figure with all his Yorkshire team-mates.

Traditionalists may say that Yorkshire should give the job to a home-bred cricketer but the options are simply not there.

Michael Vaughan is made of the right material and it would not surprise me if at some stage in the future he were appointed captain of England. Yet the fact that he is now on a central contract and with England playing seven Test matches and ten or so one-day internationals a summer means he is just not going to be available enough to take on the Yorkshire captaincy.

The same goes for Darren Gough who has been restricted to three Championship appearances this season and may or may not return for an Indian summer.

Lehmann, therefore, is the obvious choice, but this amiable and hugely gifted cricketer would want to play no part in a rebellion.

If, however, he were asked if he would take over the captaincy when Byas decides to stand down, I am sure the answer would be 'Yes.'

PICTURE: IDEAL MAN: Michael Vaughan may not be a home-bred player, but he has excellent credentials to succeed David Byas as Yorkshire skipper