Ryan Campbell will be hoping the weather plays ball when Durham take on Lancashire Lightning tomorrow at Seat Unique Riverside in the Vitality Blast. [2:30pm]
After just 5 overs were possible against Nottinghamshire, Durham took just one point from the match, remaining second from bottom in the North group.
An unchanged squad of 13 has been named for the visit of Lancashire, which includes Ben McKinney who made his T20 Blast debut against Notts Outlaws this afternoon.
The Lightning have enjoyed a strong start to the Blast season and sit top of the table with 5 wins and 1 defeat and have 10 points.
Words from Ryan Campbell
We got off to a flyer there and that was impressive to see, but the rain and thunder means we take 1 point back to Durham and take on league leaders Lancashire. It will be a good test for us because they are playing some good cricket in this format at the moment, but we look to put on a good show, especially for the father’s with it being father’s day.
Squad v Lancashire Lighting (17 June)
David Bedingham, Jonathan Bushnell, Graham Clark, Paul Coughlin, George Drissell, Alex Lees*, Ben McKinney, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Ollie Robinson+, Nathan Sowter, Ashton Turner
Opposition Corner
Captain: Keaton Jennings
Overseas players: Tom Bruce (New Zealand), Chris Green (Australia)
Finals Day appearances: Nine (2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022)
Titles: One (2015)
2023 finish: Quarter-finals
2023 leading run-scorer: Daryl Mitchell (435)
2023 leading wicket-taker: Luke Wood (18)
Key winter moves: Lancashire have lost Daryl Mitchell’s overseas runs but hope fellow New Zealander Tom Bruce fills the void. Australian all-rounder Chris Green adds valuable experience following a change to Nathan Lyon’s availability. Matt Parkinson, one of only two Lightning bowlers to take 100 T20 wickets, has joined Kent. England T20 quick Richard Gleeson is another departure, replaced by fellow speedster Mitch Stanley.
The big question: Have Lancashire got the experience in their squad to win a second Blast title? Former captain Dane Vilas also departed late last summer, while they may not see much of England quartet Jos Buttler, Tom Hartley, Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt due to World Cup duty.
Wildcard watch: Jos Buttler, Tom Hartley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mitch Stanley, Luke Wells and Luke Wood are already signed up in the Hundred. Watch out for all-rounder Tom Aspinwall, though. He is yet to debut in T20 cricket. But, in bowling fast and batting down the order, he plays his cricket in overdrive.
Final thought: This season’s Roses matches will provide some friendly fire, because Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein and his opposite number at Yorkshire, Ottis Gibson, are the closest of mates. They are former team-mates at Durham and regularly socialise when their teams play against each other. There won’t be much else friendly about those meetings, though.
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.