Stephen Fleming: Oval bound? © Getty Images

It is being widely reported that Surrey's bid to sign Stephen Fleming in 2005 is at an advanced stage.

Steve Rixon, Surrey's coach, told The Dominion Post that Fleming was one of a number of players being approached to try to bolster the side's flagging fortunes.

"Several players have been spoken to, one of them being Flem," Rixon said. "We've got four in our sights at the moment but I can't really say too much until the end of the week."

Fleming would be free to play almost all the summer, and he has experience of county cricket after stints with Middlesex in 2001 and Yorkshire last summer.

The only possible problem could be Fleming's troublesome abdominal injury. Although it appears to have been better of late, he has been told that he might require surgery at some point.