Dexter left out for Kent

Neil Dexter will play no further part for Kent after failing to agree a contract

Kent have omitted Neil Dexter from their squad ahead of the clash with Lancashire in Division One of the LV County Championship.

Dexter has been in contract negotiations with the county over the course of this season but has failed to agree a deal despite being offered three-year terms, with Kent deciding against including the batsman for the game at Liverpool CC or their final game against Durham.

Chairman of cricket Graham Johnson said: “We are bitterly disappointed that Neil has decided not to pursue his future career with Kent. We have done a great deal to help him with his development as a cricketer during his time with the club".

"We have offered him a three-year contract that would have provided him with an outstanding opportunity to make the most of his undoubted talent. It is a great pity that he does not feel able to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The omission comes as a blow to Kent with influential all-rounder Azhar Mahmood also struggling with a knee injury, however fellow all-rounder Justin Kemp could come in after hitting a hundred in his comeback game for the second XI.

Lancashire will be without England duo James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff as they head into the penultimate game of the season.

The pair have been rested under ECB instruction and will sit out along with seamer Sajid Mahmood, who is out with a side strain.

Fellow seamer Dominc Cork has again been omitted from the squad however batsman Francois du Plessis will play in what will be his last game before leaving to begin the South African domestic season with the Nashua Titans.

Twenty-four-year-old du Plessis will return to Old Trafford next season and is reported to be close to clinching a three-year contract extension with the club.

Lancashire currently sit level on points with fellow strugglers Yorkshire in joint-second bottom and will be desperate to avoid relegation after suffering a similar fate in Division One of the NatWest Pro40 at the weekend.