Ben Stokes & Mark Wood are set to feature in the historic Specsavers County Championship match against Worcestershire tomorrow (2pm start) after being named in a 13-man squad.
The pair return to county duty with the pink ball for the first round of day/night fixtures in the competition’s 127-year history ahead of England’s floodlit Test against the West Indies in August.
While Wood featured for Durham earlier this season on his return from ankle surgery, it will be Stokes’ first appearance at county level since a match-winning performance to defeat Surrey at the end of 2016.
The 26-year-old has since gone on to establish himself as the world’s best all-rounder, picking up the MVP award at this year’s Indian Premier League & striking One-Day International centuries against both South Africa & Australia.
His maiden first-class appearance also came against the pink ball when he lined up in the Champion County match against the MCC in 2010.
Keaton Jennings completes the trio of England players expected to line up for Durham, though his involvement will be curtailed after two days to join up with the England Lions ahead of their match against South Africa on Thursday.
Durham will be allowed to field a fully participating substitute in his absence.
New Zealand opening batsman Tom Latham could be in line for a debut as Jon Lewis’ men aim for a second consecutive four-day win.
Graham Clark & Chris Rushworth are also in contention after impressive performances in this week’s victory over Glamorgan while Paul Coughlin drops out of the squad.
The recent record against the Pears has been excellent, with Durham winning the last five meetings between the sides and eight of the last nine overall.
However, Worcestershire have made a strong start to the season & look well set for a promotion push after chasing 399 to defeat Kent in the last round of fixtures.
The visitors are expected to call upon the services of Moeen Ali & ex-Durham favourite John Hastings while Joe Clarke’s selection for the Lions limits him to the first two days only.
Division Two’s highest-scoring batsmen are also set to face off as Daryl Mitchell (731 runs) & Paul Collingwood (728) go head-to-head.
The breaks in play are scheduled to come between 4-4:40pm & 6:40-7pm, with the close scheduled at 9pm. In the event of lost overs, the latest play can go on until is 10pm.
Squad (vs Worcestershire, 26-29 June): Paul Collingwood (c), Tom Latham, Keaton Jennings, Cameron Steel, Jack Burnham, Graham Clark, Ben Stokes, Ryan Pringle, Stuart Poynter (wk), Mark Wood, Matty Potts, Barry McCarthy, Chris Rushworth