LANCASHIRE captain Tom Smith insists he will not rush his return to action from a back injury, but admits he hopes to be back playing before the end of the summer.

The all-rounder has been on the sidelines since playing in the opening round LV= County Championship win over Derbyshire in mid-April.

Smith has since suffered disc problems in his back, recovered and seen it flare up again.

Steven Croft has led the side in his absence, with the Red Rose currently sitting top of the Championship Division Two table ahead of today’s home clash with Essex at Emirates Old Trafford, their eleventh match of the campaign.

Lancashire are also firmly in the mix for qualification from the North Division of the T20 Blast having secured their fifth win from ten matches over Yorkshire at home on Friday night.

“I’m on the mend,” said the 29-year-old former England under 19s man. “The nature of the problem means it is a time thing. And the line I’ve been using is you can't cheat time.

“But over the last three weeks my progress has been getting a lot better. I’ve done a lot of core exercises and pilates work.

“It is something I had towards the back end of last year, but I’ve trained throughout the whole winter without a problem.

“I came back and played a few games in the seconds and felt great. Ironically, I felt a million dollars on the day it flared up again. We are just taking the same approach as we did last time, but just taking a bit more time.

“We haven't set a time frame. The lads are going well, so there is no reason to rush back. We just want to make sure it is right. We have plans to be back before the end of the season, but we will see.”

Smith is no stranger to injury problems having suffered a number of muscle injuries over the years. And there has been a suggestion in the past that he may have to give up bowling to prolong his career.

Smith, however, is confident that will not be the case this time.

“It is something I love doing, and I will make every effort to ensure I can bowl and bat to my full potential, which is what I want to do,” he added.

Meanwhile, James Faulkner has been named in today’s squad despite last week’s drink driving charge.