Brydon Carse is set to make his first team return when Durham host Glamorgan in the LV=Insurance County Championship tomorrow at the Riverside.
Carse last featured for Durham in the County Championship in July 2021 at Edgbaston against Warwickshire – but was withdrawn after day 2 due to his England ODI selection for their series against Pakistan.
While on England Lions duty in Australia, Carse suffered torn cartilage in his right knee and has been in rehabilitation for a 5 month period – since his recovery the 26-year-old has played in the Second team and for North East Premier League club Burnopfield and is now ready to return to first team action.
James Franklin has otherwise named the same squad which was selected to take on Worcestershire at New Road with a 14 man squad in contention to face Glamorgan this week.
Squad v Glamorgan (12-15 May)
David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick (c), Brydon Carse, Sean Dickson, Ned Eckersley +, Michael Jones, Alex Lees, Liam Trevaskis, Keegan Petersen, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Chris Rushworth, Matt Salisbury, Ben Stokes
Words from James Franklin
“Pitches this season haven’t offered as much as much for the bowlers, It’s a bit of U-turn on the last few years but in all honesty I think it is a positive for cricket.
“We’ve seen brilliant cricket wickets and are seeing tougher cricket which will eventually evolve if the pitches stay this way into better cricketers ultimately for England which I guess has got to be the over-riding aim of it all.
“Our performance during the Worcestershire game have been a hell of a lot better than it has been the previous two matches.
“That is real progress for me. We took a step back the last two games, but this week seems like a positive step forward.
“From a batting point of view, there are some really nice signs and, not just myself, but a number of people in our dressing room are particularly pleased for Sean (Dickson).
“By his own admission, his last two years have been a little bit lean by his own standards but now he is showing everyone the class player he is.
“The challenge for him is to try and sustain some semblance of this form through the rest of the season.”
The Opposition
Coach: Matthew Maynard
Captain: David Lloyd
Last year’s performance: 6th (Division 2)
2021 leading run scorer: Kiran Carlson (928, 48.84)
2021 leading wicket taker: Michael Hogan (34, 25.20)
Overseas players: Michael Neser (Australian), Marnus Labuschagne (Australian)
Key player: If there is one dangerman in the Glamorgan side, it is Australian Test batter Marnus Labuschagne. He’s scored 329 runs so far for Glamorgan this term at an average of 47, with a century and two fifties to his name.
Under the radar: Dan Douthwaite – The 24-year-old was Glamorgan’s leading wicket-taker in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 and the all-rounder will be hoping for another positive season. He fell 4 runs short of a second first-class century against Durham last season at the Riverside with 96, scoring 482 runs and 17 wickets.
Young potential: Callum Taylor – Callum Taylor became only the fourth Glamorgan player to score a century on his first-class debut when he smashed an 88-ball ton at Wantage Road, finishing on 106 from 94 balls. The 23-year-old has played in 8 first-class matches, featuring 6 times in 2021, scoring 215 runs.
Match Coverage
The Club’s match centre will be in operation for the fixture with live scorecards, statistics & video highlights as they happen. You can watch the game live via the club’s match centre and Durham YouTube channel.
There will also be regular updates on Twitter, with a match report on the website following the conclusion of each day.