If only Middlesex's problems could be cured with such precision after a season's decline into shambles. The county's cricket committee, who met last night, will soon be making next year's recommendations known.

Mike Gatting's future club role after his retirement as a player came under scrutiny from the panel, chaired by Bob Gale. The dilemma over whether John Buchanan, the team's Australian coach, should be offered another season, as he would like, was tackled. Though Gatting is an obvious candidate to replace Buchanan straight away, his duties as an England selector would clash.

One easy item on the agenda was the re-appointment of Justin Langer, the successful Australian batsman, as overseas player.

Even if Middlesex win at Derby next weekend, the highest they can finish will be 15th, their position in 1991 when they had no overseas player by choice and Gatting was captain.

Anurag Singh, the Warwickshire and former Cambridge University batsman, resumes his law course in London this week after being released from Little Aston hospital on crutches four days after being admitted with a poisoned shinbone.

It developed after the Leicestershire match the previous week when Singh, wearing shin pads, was struck at short-leg off Dougie Brown's seam-bowling. He resumed fielding with hardly a bruise visible.

He reported ill on the second morning of the game against Yorkshire at Headingley a week later, feeling hot, and hobbling on a severely swollen leg.

Graham Thorpe, out with a bad back for two months, has a 50-50 chance of returning for Surrey against Leicestershire in their championship-deciding match at the Oval on Thursday, according to coach Keith Medlycott.