SOMERSET captain Tom Abell is urging his side to keep their focus as they go in search of a third straight County Championship victory from tomorrow (11am start), away to Lancashire.

They will have to do it without the injured Eddie Byrom (shoulder), Josh Davey (thigh) and Jamie Overton (side strain), though, with none of them recovering to make Somerset's 13-man squad.

Abell impressed with bat and ball during last weekend’s 118-run win over Yorkshire, and now leads his side to Old Trafford, with their hosts yet to taste victory from their three games to date.

The skipper told the Gazette: “We were very happy to get the second win on the board.

“We were made to work hard for it, especially in their second innings - they had a couple of partnerships which tested our patience, so that was another important test for us to come through.

“There are a lot of good things happening at the moment and the mood is really good.”

Abell’s 82 in Somerset’s second innings helped dig the side out of a hole at 24-4.

Reflecting on his innings, he said: “We’d spoken before the day’s play about laying a foundation and there are different ways of going about it.

“Some players are very aggressive, as Matt Renshaw was in our first innings, and I wanted Steve Davies and I to be positive in attack and defence.

“They bowled very well early on and we rode our luck at times, but I think you have to do that at this time of year.

“It has been a real team effort in both games with different people stepping up at different times.”

Abell delivered with the ball too, breaking a stubborn partnership between Jack Leaning and Tim Bresnan on his way to figures of 2-15.

“It was nice to pick up a couple but we shouldn’t underestimate the role the other seamers played before that - I’ve got plenty of work to do,” he said.

“I try and get the ball swinging rather than worrying too much about speed - I don’t think I’ll worry too many batsmen at my pace - and it’s nice to bring something else to the table.”

Looking ahead to the clash with Lancashire, Abell said: “I don’t think you can read too much into their results so far.

“It will be a real challenge for us and we have to be ready to start again - these wins we’ve had mean nothing once the match starts up there.

“It’s been a great start but it’s very early days and there’s lots of cricket still to play, starting with the massive game this weekend.”

For the second year in succession, the hosts have James Anderson to call on for this fixture.

“It’s a good test for us as batsmen in terms of where we are at,” Abell said.

“We can’t just focus on one bowler, though. They have plenty of good seamers.”

As for the Somerset squad, Jack Leach returns after missing the Yorkshire match with illness, while Roelof van der Merwe comes in for Josh Davey.

It means Somerset have named three spin bowlers in their 13-strong squad, rather than recalling all-rounder Peter Trego, who has been captaining the 2nd XI.

Perhaps surprisingly, there is no place for Tom Banton either, despite the 19-year-old being in the form of his life.

He scored 354 runs in two consecutive days for Somerset 2nds against Kent in Canterbury last week - and added another 102 against Surrey at Taunton Vale this week.

Somerset squad to face Lancashire: Tom Abell (c), George Bartlett, Dom Bess, Steve Davies, Lewis Gregory, Tim Groenewald, James Hildreth, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Trescothick, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe​