Middlesex are the visitors to Seat Unique Riverside for next weeks’ LV=Insurance County Championship fixture in Chester le Street.
With only 5 games left including the Middlesex clash, wins are needed for Durham if they are to stand a chance of finishing in the top 2 and gaining promotion into Division 2.
Durham are currently 6th in the Division 2 table, 41 points below Middlesex who occupy the 2nd spot.
Sean Dickson returns to the Durham squad having suffered a right hamstring tendon tear against Glamorgan back in May. He scored 73 for Felling last Saturday in the North East Premier League and having gone through an extensive rehabilitation period, is set for a return.
Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts are not available for selection as England’s ODI tour against South Africa draws to a close on Sunday and therefore due to the schedule both won’t return to the squad in time.
Squad v Middlesex (25-28 July)
David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick*, Jonathan Bushnell, Sean Dickson, Oliver Gibson, Michael Jones, Alex Lees, Nic Maddinson, Tom Mackintosh, Stanley McAlindon, Ben Raine, Chris Rushworth, Liam Trevaskis
Words from James Franklin
It ended up being a very nervy last session of the game against Derbyshire. It was probably a fair outcome over the four days. The pendulum swayed a little bit towards Derbyshire and during the morning session when they got quick runs. We had a conversation, if we could set a solid foundation, we could potentially go about chasing down those runs. Unfortunately we lost those five wickets through the middle session, which put paid to that. Then it was a case of getting through that final session and thankfully we did. In that last session we showed some great character and resilience, firstly Liam Trevaskis and Ben Raine. Then Tom Mackintosh and Stanley McAlindon, for two young guys to go out there and soak up that pressure showed great character and is promising for their futures. I was chuffed for Tom to come in and get a half century on his first-class debut. He was tidy behind the stumps and took a few good catches. It’s a debut that he can be proud of, and equally Stanley McAlindon.
Middlesex
Coach: Richard Johnson
Captain: Tim Murtagh
Last year’s performance: 2nd (Division 3)
2021 leading run scorer: Sam Robson (1047, 40.26)
2021 leading wicket taker: Tim Murtagh (58, 18.60)
Overseas players: Pieter Malan (South Africa) Umesh Yadav (India)
Key player: Sam Robson – Since 2008, Sam has been a prolific batman for Middlesex. Scoring over 11,000 runs in first class cricket and at 32 years old there still juice in the tank. He so far has 640 runs this summer averaging 45.7 with 3 centuries to his name. The right-hander has also been tipped to make his England test return following his debut against Sri Lanka in 2014.
Under the radar: Martin Anderson – who rounded off Middlesex’s Bob Willis Trophy campaign with successive four-wicket hauls in 2020, he continued to mature into a genuine all-rounder in 2021. Looking to cement his name in the first-class game. He has claimed 11 wickets in the County Championship so far this campaign.
Young potential: Still only 24-year-old Max Holden has started the summer off on good terms with 551 runs in the County Championship. With a highest score of 86 he is averaging 51.83 striking at 58.57.
Match Centre
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 Durham’s match centre and Durham Cricket YouTube channel.