Division Two champions Durham take on Worcestershire in their final home Rothesay County Championship game of the year as the 2026 season begins to draw to a close.
Ryan Campbell has named a squad of 14 with Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts returning, having been rested for last week’s 93-run victory over Middlesex – which confirmed promotion back to Division One.
Shafiqullah Ghafari drops out of an otherwise unchanged squad as Durham look to pick up their 10th win of the campaign and continue their unbeaten run in the red ball format.
Matthew Potts is the top wicket taker across both divisions of the County Championship with 58 scalps going into the final two rounds of the season whilst Ben McKinney has 916 calendar runs in Division Two ahead of facing Worcestershire.
Going into round 13 Durham sit in first place with 230 points, 55 ahead of second place Northamptonshire on 175 while Kent are in third spot on 173 points.
Alan Richardson’s side are sixth in Division Two on 133 points with four wins, three draws and five losses so far this season.
Words from Ryan Campbell
(On Division One return) There’s a sense of unfinished business, we all believed we had a really good squad and that we were in it to win the whole competition. That was a massive wake up call to us and to be the best you’ve got to go up against the best. Our players as individuals need to be facing the best bowlers in the country and the best batters.
The final two games are going to be a challenge for me, as there’ll be a lot of smiles and happiness around. The facts are we’re here to win games of cricket, I think we’ve come so far that we don’t want our standards to slip.
We’ll probably welcome back Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts into our team and we won’t be taking our foot off the accelerator, if teams want to come here and take on the so-called ‘champs’, they’re going to have to be good.
The facts are these guys have worked very hard. If you’re not enjoying these great moments then there’s not much point in playing sports.
Squad v Worcestershire (15-18 September)
Colin Ackermann, Mayank Agarwal, Kasey Aldridge, Brydon Carse, Graham Clark, Alex Lees*, Ben McKinney, Duanne Olivier, Callum Parkinson, Mathew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson+, Ben Stokes.
Opposition Corner
Captain: Brett D’Oliveira
Head coach: Alan Richardson
2025 finish: 10th (in Division One, relegated)
2025 highest run-scorer: Jake Libby (1,060)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Tom Taylor (58)
Key winter moves: Worcestershire have signed South African all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel on a red-ball contract for 2026. The 27-year-old will be available for the whole Rothesay County Championship season, his second stint in England after a spell with Kent in 2024. Despite the recent yo-yo history having continued with relegation last year, the squad assembled by the Pears over recent years appears strong enough to challenge for another promotion.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: The batting looks interesting. The Pears will look to Jake Libby for the customary crucial top-order anchor with the youthful exuberance of Dan Lategan and Isaac Mohammed fledging into the side around him. With Adam Hose back to fitness after a serious injury sustained in The Hundred, the New Road audience could be in for some entertaining days.
Aiming to catch Test selectors’ eye: Ethan Brookes. With abundant natural talent, capable of playing truly thrilling and match-turning innings with the bat, the 24-year-old all-rounder clearly has the potential to become an international player.
Final thought: Adaptability has long been the watchword at Worcestershire and as much as ever this winter. Their pre-season plans, already accommodating frequent flooding at New Road, were further hit when a proposed trip to Oman was cancelled due to the war in the Middle East. Such inconvenience and adversity can either break or bond a squad. At New Road it is very much the latter. Expect a promotion challenge from them.
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 Cricket YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.