Jimmy Neesham in line for red ball debut as 13 head to London to take on Surrey

It’s a missed opportunity against Sussex. I think if we look back to day one if you create chances you’ve got to take them and I think if we’d have taken our chances and bowled them out for 250 then it’s a whole different game. We could’ve created the narrative, which we didn’t and hence the last day was boring.

(On Kookaburra ball) “If you think that everyone’s going to bowl really fast with the Kookaburra ball four games a year, that’s not going to happen. I’m an Aussie I love the Kookaburra ball but it doesn’t quite work in England. I’d love for it to be used lower down in under-19’s and the pathways when kids get to learn their craft, I’m not convinced about it at this sort of level.

Ben McKinney will not play against Surrey which is very clear with these concussion protocols. He was still not feeling well on Monday which means he’s still going to be out for seven days. Jimmy Neesham will come into the squad who’s pretty keen to play red ball cricket for us so we’ll open that door and I feel that Scott Borthwick will come back into the squad as well.

Squad v Surrey (29-2 July)

Colin Ackermann,  Scott Borthwick, Graham Clark, Sam Conners, George Drissell, Emilio Gay, Daniel Hogg, Alex Lees*, Jimmy Neesham, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson+

Opposition Corner

Captain: Rory Burns

Head Coach: Gareth Batty

2024 finish: Champions

2024 highest run-scorer: Rory Burns (1,073)

2024 highest wicket-taker: Dan Worrall (52)

Key winter moves: The arrival from Yorkshire of Matt Fisher is expected to strengthen still further Surrey’s all-powerful fast-bowling stocks. Fisher, at 27, sees the move as a chance to push on an already promising career and reach new levels in both county and international cricket. From the start of May, too, the champions’ enviable pace battery will be boosted by Nathan Smith, who joins as Surrey’s latest overseas signing and who is available, outside any New Zealand commitments, for the rest of the summer.

What we’re looking forward to seeing: Can anyone stop Surrey, champions for the last three seasons, completing a fourth consecutive title triumph? And will newly-qualified pace ace Dan Worrall, the spearhead of the glorious ‘three-peat’ with 139 wickets at 21.17 since joining Surrey for the start of the 2022 season, continue his remarkable late-career Surrey surge by winning an England Test call at 33?

Player to watch: Although many eyes will be on Fisher, who won his only England Test cap of an injury-studded career to date in March 2022, expect exciting 22-year-old Tom Lawes to kick on this season. Lawes, who can also bat in the lower middle order, already has 74 first-class wickets at 24.36 but – swinging the ball both ways at sharp pace – he can get much better yet.

Final thought: As ever, Surrey will have to juggle their considerable resources cleverly given the many calls from England red-ball and white-ball squads, plus the Indian Premier League during the county season’s early stages. The spine of the championship team, however, looks as reassuringly solid as before: skipper Burns and Dom Sibley at the top of the order, Ben Foakes to keep wicket peerlessly and add consistent runs to a strong and deep batting line-up, while Jordan Clark (116 wickets in the last three years) helps Worrall (and Lawes) lead the attack.

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 Surrey YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.