Durham are back in Rothesay County Championship action taking on Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground at 11am tomorrow, after a three week break from red ball cricket.
A 15-player squad has been named to head to Somerset- including Neil Wagner’s return, as Durham head to Taunton looking for a third Championship win of the season.
Wagner is in contention to make his first Durham appearance this season after recovering from a slight calf injury and is set to return to action after his last first-class game in late March.
Durham have three overseas players available to face Somerset with David Bedingham in line for his fifth Durham outing of the season whilst Codi Yusuf has also travelled down to the West Country.
This week’s game against Somerset and next week’s at Banks Homes Riverside against Surrey will see Kookaburra balls used before the Dukes ball returns for the final three County Championship rounds in September.
Durham sit in sixth place in Division One on 108 points with two wins and four draws, just nine points behind opponents Somerset who lie in fourth place with three wins and four draws in nine rounds of action.
Alex Lees lead the run scoring charts for Durham in the County Championship with 741 runs whilst Ben Raine leads Durham’s bowlers with 30 red ball scalps this campaign.
Former Durham Cricket Captain and Club Hall of Famer Dale Benkenstein will be joining the squad throughout the week.
With Ryan Campbell returning to Australia this week due to a family bereavement, Benkenstein will join up with Durham assisting Graham Onions and Will Gidman, offering coaching support and mentorship to the men’s squad throughout their fixture at Taunton.
A legend of Durham Cricket, Benkenstein joined the Club in 2005 and captained Durham to a first major trophy in 2007, before going onto guide the county to successive Championship titles in 2008 and 2009.
Words from Alex Lees
Squad v Somerset (22-25 July)
Colin Ackermann, David Bedingham, Graham Clark, Bas de Leede, George Drissell, Emilio Gay, Alex Lees*, Ben McKinney, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson+, Neil Wagner, Codi Yusuf
Opposition Corner
Captain: Lewis Gregory
Head Coach: Jason Kerr
2024 finish: Third
2024 highest run-scorer: Tom Lammonby (941)
2024 highest wicket-taker: Jack Leach (45)
Key winter moves: New Zealand seamer Matt Henry is expected to rejoin the club for seven Championship games, starting with the second round of matches against Sussex at Hove, subject to recovery from shoulder and knee problems. South African all-rounder Migael Pretorius has been re-signed for the whole of the 2025 season and should be available for all formats, strengthening both the batting and bowling departments.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: How Will Smeed will adapt to Championship cricket. At the age of 23, the scorer of the first-ever century in The Hundred has changed his mind about concentrating solely on white-ball cricket and is ready to add his considerable skills to a Somerset team who have struggled for consistent top-order runs in the four-day format. Smeed may have to be patient in awaiting his chance, but provides a hugely talented new option for a top six batting place.
Final thought: Somerset are employing a Performance Psychologist this season and much could depend on how the players respond mentally to the bitter disappointment of making a sustained challenge for all three domestic trophies last season without winning any of them. The finale of that campaign proved a huge anti-climax, but the team still finished third in the Championship and there is no reason why they should not be up there fighting for a first ever title again.
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 the match will also be available on the Somerset YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.