Dani Hazell has named a 13-player squad as Durham head to Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground for their final group game in this year’s Vitality Blast.
Durham will be looking to bounce back from Friday’s 12-run defeat to Essex at Banks Homes Riverside – having booked their place in Final’s Day earlier in the week.
Hazell’s side sit third in the table with 31 points and face a Lancashire Thunder side who are bottom of the table having won twice this campaign, with two changes named from the 15 which were in contention to take on Essex with Leah Dobson and Harriet Robson being omitted.
Mady Villiers has joined up with England alongside Lauren Filer for their one-off Test match against India at Lord’s – which is currently underway and is therefore not available for selection.
Words from Dani Hazell
Squad v Lancashire Thunder (12 July)
Hollie Armitage*,Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Heather Graham, Bess Heath, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers+, Charlotte Stubbs, Grace Thompson, Sophia Turner, Emily Windsor.
Opposition Corner
Captain: Ellie Threlkeld
Overseas player: Meg Lanning (Australia, full campaign)
2025 finish: 4th
2025 leading run-scorer: Emma Lamb (336)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Alana King, Tara Norris (16)
Key winter moves: Talk about statement signing, hey. Lancashire’s capture of Australian batting legend Meg Lanning is not only a boost for to the county’s hopes of Blast glory but also the county game in general. The best players in the world want to come and play here. Happy days. She replaces compatriot Alana King, the leg-spinner who was Thunder’s joint top wicket-taker last year.
The big question: Can Lancashire complete the set? Champions last year in both the Vitality County T20 Cup and then the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, this is the missing one they would love to put into the Emirates Old Trafford trophy cabinet. That they fell short of a place at Finals Day last year really stung a side who are hungry for sustained success.
Wildcard watch: Grace Johnson. Not an automatic pick in Thunder’s XI, but perhaps more likely given the impending absence of Scotland duo Ailsa Lister and Darcey Carter because of T20 World Cup duty. An Academy graduate who bowls seam and bats in the middle order, the now 21-year-old captained Lancashire’s U18s to two national titles in 2024.
Final thought: It certainly hasn’t been the start to the season Lancashire were wanting, with batting fragilities leaving them with an uphill task to defend their One-Day Cup title. They will be banking on Meg Lanning’s presence to really give that area of their team some oomph in the 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 the Lancashire Cricket YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.