Durham head coach Jon Lewis has named a 12-man squad for the annual pre-season friendly against Durham MCCU at Emirates Riverside.
The match, which does not hold first-class status, is Durham’s final chance for competitive outdoor practice before next week’s Specsavers County Championship opener against Kent.
Lewis’s side have been frustrated thus far in pre-season, with friendlies against Middlesex & Yorkshire both completely washed out.
They did get the use of a practice tent at Merchant Taylors’ & have been netting outside at Emirates Riverside with the aid of a mat, but the squad will be hoping to gain as much practice as possible over the next three days.
New signings Nathan Rimmington & Will Smith are both included & could feature against the students, while Second XI Player of the Year in 2017, Gareth Harte, is also named in the 12.
South Africa international Aiden Markram will join up with his new team mates over the weekend but does not arrive in time for this fixture.
The side will be captained by Paul Collingwood as he enters his 23rd season as a professional cricketer with the Club.
Entry into the ground is free for all three days of the fixture.
Squad vs Durham MCCU (13-15 April)
Paul Collingwood (c), Cameron Steel, Will Smith, Gareth Harte, Graham Clark, Michael Richardson, Stuart Poynter, Matthew Potts, Nathan Rimmington, Barry McCarthy, James Weighell, Chris Rushworth
Last time out
7-9 April 2017: Durham (404/5d & 270/6d) beat Durham MCCU (152 & 63) by 459 runs
A strong Durham side piled on the runs & then ran through the students twice to win by a huge margin in last season’s pre-season friendly at Emirates Riverside.
After electing to bat first, Jack Burnham & Michael Richardson put on a huge 209-run partnership for the third wicket as the former racked up 150 off 157 balls.
Graham Onions & Ryan Pringle did the damage in the first innings, taking four apiece, before the returning Mark Wood helped Onions roll through the students second time around. Onions finished with 4/3 off eight overs, with Wood returning 4/6 off seven.
Prospects of Play
Despite the poor weather over the last few weeks & months, Vic Demain & the groundstaff have worked hard to prepare a pitch for the next three days.
The forecast for tomorrow (Friday) remains indifferent & prospects of play will be assessed by the umpires on arrival at the ground.
For the latest on prospects of play, check our live Twitter feed at the bottom of this page. This will update automatically with the latest from Emirates Riverside.
Alternatively, call the prospects of play line on 0844 499 4466 (Option 1).