YORKSHIRE'S director of cricket David Byas is spending the next couple of days mulling over whether to sign another overseas player to see out the remainder of the season now that Australia have named both Darren Lehmann and Ian Harvey in their 14-man one-day squad.

Their inclusion for the Videcon Cup tournament in Amsterdam from August 21, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy in this country during September, means that Yorkshire will be without the pair of them from the middle of this month.

Yorkshire knew that Lehmann was an automatic selection for the two tours but the selection of Harvey has taken them by complete surprise in view of his poor all-round form for the county since returning from a hamstring injury.

But Harvey remains a hugely gifted player, which is why Australia are keeping faith with him, and Byas was hopeful that an avalanche of runs and a sackful of wickets was just around the corner.

"Everyone goes through a bad patch and Harvey is no exception to that rule," said Byas.

"If he had remained with us, there was every chance that he would have shaken off his indifferent run of form and ended the season with a bang."

Lehmann and Harvey will be available for Yorkshire for the final time on August 18 when they play Leicestershire in a totesport League day-night match at Grace Road but their fellow Australian, Phil Jaques, returns to Headingley on August 15 and stays until the end of the campaign.

Jaques has already proved his worth with 662 Championship runs in six matches and he is still Yorkshire's leading run-scorer in the competition but the departure of Harvey has left Byas wondering whether to try to make another late signing.

Harvey's bowling has been an even bigger disappointment than his batting, his four Championship wickets coming at a cost of 91 runs apiece, and if Byas does sign someone it should be an out-and-out fast bowler, providing that one is available at such short notice.

"The news about Harvey has only just come out and there has been no time yet to consider whether we would benefit from a replacement but I will be giving it a lot of thought over the next few days," said Byas.

Yorkshire resume their Championship programme next week when Derbyshire visit Headingley on the Thursday and this will be the only one of the six remaining matches in the competition that Lehmann and Harvey will be able to play in.

Lehmann missed out last week with an inflamed disc in his back but Byas said that he was now well on the way to recovery.

"He travelled to Southgate on Sunday for the totesport League game with Middlesex but was still not fully fit and it would have put him back a fortnight had he played," said Byas.

Australia squad: Ponting, Clarke, Gillespie, Harvey, Hayden, Hogg, Kasprowicz, Lee, Lehmann, Martyn, McGrath, Symonds, Watson.

Updated: 11:13 Tuesday, August 03, 2004