Durham get their 50 over campaign underway tomorrow as they take on Worcestershire Rapids at Seat Unique Riverside at 11am.
Ryan Campbell has named a 13-player squad for the Metro Bank season opener as Durham look to get off to winning ways against the Rapids.
The club are pleased to confirm that after initially signing a deal to play in Durham’s three County Championship games in July, Migael Pretorius has extended his stay with Durham and will now be available throughout the Metro Bank one-day cup.
Pretorius has played 26 List-A games since making his debut in 2015 and has also played List A cricket for North West, Lions and Knights claiming 37 wickets with a best of 4/21.
Pretorius along with Brandon Glover and Ben McKinney are in line to make their Durham List A debuts tomorrow.
Paul Coughlin returns to the fold having recovered from the side injury which reoccurred during the Vitality Blast and will make his return to white ball cricket for this tournament.
With the Hundred getting under next week a number of regular senior players will be unavailable which includes Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Bas de Leede (Northern Superchargers), Nathan Sowter (Oval Invincibles) and Ben Raine (Manchester Originals)
Worcestershire will be a stern test for Durham – with the New Road side losing only 3 players to The Hundred in Josh Tounge, Mitchell Stanley and Adam Hose, as they bring a full strength side to Chester le Street.
Squad v Worcestershire Rapids [1st August]
David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick, Jonathan Bushnell, Graham Clark, Paul Coughlin, George Drissell, Oliver Gibson, Brandon Glover, Michael Jones, Alex Lees*, Ben McKinney, Migael Pretorius, Liam Trevaskis
Opposition Corner
Captain: Jake Libby
Overseas player: Azhar Ali (Pakistan)
2022 finish: Ninth (Group B)
2022 leading runscorer: Jake Libby (332)
2022 leading wicket taker: Dillon Pennington (10)
Key player: Jake Libby – The prolific opener in all formats of the game will be skippering the side in an official role for the first time in the 50-over competition and provides stability and a calming influence for the younger players. Last season’s leading run-scorer for the Rapids provides the solid rock around the more powerful hitters can play.
Young Player to watch: Kashif Ali – The first product of SACA to sign a contract with a first-class county, Kashif showed glimpses of his talent last summer, including a brilliant century on his List A debut versus Kent. A broken thumb checked his progress but expected to make a big impact in 2023 with his wristy stroke-play.
Final thought: Worcestershire were weakened by the call-up of several players at the 11th hour to The Hundred in 2022 and this was reflected in their results. Adam Hose will be a big miss with the Northern Superchargers but overall the squad is considerably stronger and capable of emulating their encouraging performances in the Vitality Blast.
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.