Durham return to County Championship action tomorrow hosting Derbyshire at Banks Homes Riverside starting at 11am .
After a break for the Vitality Blast Durham are back in red ball action and will be looking to continue their strong start to their first-class campaign.
Ryan Campbell has named a 14-player squad which includes two changes to the 14 which travelled to Beckenham to take on Kent in round six of the Rothesay County Championship Division 2.
Emilio Gay and Ben Stokes drop out of the 14 due to their England commitments for their three-match Test series against New Zealand.
Duanne Olivier is in line to make his Durham first-class debut having joined the County for the remainder of the season replacing Kemar Roach.
Durham sit top of Rothesay County Championship Division 2 table with 105 points from the opening six games while Derbyshire are fifth with two wins sitting on 75 points.
Ben Raine sits second in the Divisions bowling tally with 33 wickets 1 behind Northamptonshire’s Ben Sanderson, while David Bedingham (628) and Emilio Gay (552) are the Division Two leading run scorers.
Squad v Derbyshire (12-15 June)
Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, David Bedingham, Graham Clark, Alex Lees*, Ben McKinney, James Minto, Duanne Olivier, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson+, Luke Robinson
Words from Ryan Campbell
We are really excited to be returning to the County Championship, we have two tough games coming up against Derbyshire and Northamptonshire.
Derbyshire are on a bit of a roll under Micky Arthur and Northamptonshire are playing good cricket but we know we will be ready to go on Friday.
We have been really good so far this season in the County Championship and I expect the same this week.
We are a good four-day cricket team and will have some changes going into Friday from our last game [against Kent] but we know those selected will be up for it and ready to go.
Opposition Corner
Captain: Wayne Madsen
Head coach: Mickey Arthur
2025 finish: 3rd
2025 highest run-scorer: Wayne Madsen (1,158)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Luis Reece (50)
Key winter moves: Persuading the experienced Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Abbas to reject offers from Division One counties and sign a two-year contract is a statement of intent by Derbyshire, who made another impressive move with the recruitment of England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. The bowlers will also benefit from the vast experience of Chris Wright, who has taken up his first coaching role after the former Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Middlesex and Essex seamer announced his retirement at the end of last season.
What Derbyshire fans are looking forward to seeing: After narrowly missing out on promotion in 2025, Derbyshire look to have a genuine chance of booking a place at the top table for the first time in 14 years. Abbas will spearhead an attack in which all-rounder Luis Reece excelled last season to finish as the leading wicket-taker in the division while Matt Montgomery strengthens a batting line-up that will once again be led by the evergreen Madsen and attacking Australian opener Caleb Jewell.
Aiming to catch Test selectors’ eye: After the selectors overlooked him for the entirety of the chastening 4-1 Ashes defeat, Bashir will be determined to remind them of his qualities by making a strong start to life at his new county following his switch from Somerset.
Final thought: A new season brings with it fresh hope and the exciting fast bowling prospect Harry Moore will be looking forward to it more than most. The England Under-19 quick missed all of the 2025 campaign with a back injury so will be aiming to build on the potential he showed towards the end of the previous summer.
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 YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.