Durham return to County Championship action tomorrow when Nottinghamshire visit Seat Unique Riverside – as the final block of red ball cricket is up on us.
Ryan Campbell has named a 15-player squad which sees Ben McKinney and David Bedingham return to the fold.
McKinney comes back from England Lions duty and is in line to make his first red ball appearance for Durham since April 2023.
Campbell has also named Ashton Turner in a Durham red ball squad for the first time. The Australian has arrived back in the Country as Durham prepare for their Vitality Blast quarter-final against Surrey and is also available for selection in the County Championship and could make his Durham first-class debut tomorrow.
David Bedingham has returned this week returned from South Africa’s recent Test series in the Caribbean before representing South Africa A against Sri Lanka and is back in contention, whilst Neil Wagner is set to make his Durham first-class debut. Daniel Hogg is also included in the 15 and could be in line to make his first-class bow.
Durham sit fifth in the County Championship following defeat to Worcestershire last time out and will be looking to close the 18-point gap to fourth-placed Hampshire. Nottinghamshire are below Durham in sixth but are level on points.
Words from Ryan Campbell
I am always excited; the red ball game is what we live for. It’s a great time of the year for us to make sure we know where we’re at and it’s a great opportunity against a side who have been a heavyweight of this competition for a long time.
They’re a tough team to crack, it’s very hard to win against them because they always find a way and I expect a very professional outfit to come here.
Ben McKinney will get his chance to stamp his mark on this team after a dominant performance in 50 over cricket and playing well for England Lions. Opening with Alex Lees is an exciting moment for him. David Bedingham is still travelling back from the West Indies, but Ashton Turner is here, we will see one of those two.
What we will see is the start of Neil Wagner’s career at Durham in the four-day game, I’m really excited about that.
Squad v Nottinghamshire (22-25 August)
Colin Ackermann, David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick*, Graham Clark, Paul Coughlin, Bas de Leede, George Drissell, Daniel Hogg, Alex Lees (vc), Ben McKinney, Callum Parkinson, Ben Raine, Ollie Robinson+, Ashton Turner, Neil Wagner
Opposition Corner
Captain: Haseeb Hameed
Head Coach: Peter Moores
2023 finish: Sixth
2023 highest run scorer: Joe Clarke (1053)
2023 highest wicket-taker: Brett Hutton (62)
Key winter moves: Jack Haynes will strengthen the middle order batting after signing from Worcestershire on a three-year contract. Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue add further quality to the bowling attack when fit and available, having joined on three-year deals from Worcestershire. Dane Paterson has signed up for his fourth season, available in all formats.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: Whether Haynes, only 23, can make the impact many believe he can at a higher level after five Championship hundreds in the last two seasons for Worcestershire. The classy right-hander should bed in well with two New Road colleagues making the switch with him. He has the potential to be Nottinghamshire’s most important winter signing.
Player most likely to Baz-ball: Ben Duckett was Bazballing even before it was a thing, but in his likely absence with England, Clarke or wicketkeeper-batter Tom Moores are the likeliest to take an up-tempo approach.
Final thought: How well Nottinghamshire have recruited will be measured by whether they can finish higher than last season’s sixth, which was a fair reflection of their level. How much they see of the talented speedster Tongue is open to question, given that England will have first call on him once his latest injury has healed, but Pennington and Haynes look sound acquisitions and Young adds some proven quality. Members will welcome the promotion of exciting homegrown prospect Freddie McCann to the senior squad too.
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 YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.