Durham head to Taunton looking to start the Metro Bank One Day Cup with back-to-back wins against Somerset, starting at 2pm.
Ryan Campbell has named a squad of 13 to travel to The Cooper Associates County Ground for a day/night encounter as Durham look to follow up a 51-run opening win over Sussex Sharks.
Alex Lees and Ben Raine drop out of the squad for the trip to Somerset with their workloads being managed during a busy campaign.
Ollie Robinson will captain the side in the absence of Lees whilst Paul Coughlin comes into contention to feature for the first time since May.
Scott Borthwick is in line for first Durham appearance of the season in Taunton with Stanley McAlindon also in contention for his first outing in 2025.
Somerset started their One Day Cup campaign with victory at Radlett on Wednesday, chasing down Middlesex’s 289/7 with James Rew scoring an unbeaten 106.
The Wyverns are without eight players due to The Hundred with Will Smeed, Sean Dickson, Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Tom Banton, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell and Riley Meredith all absent.
Words from Will Rhodes
We are really pleased with the win and a great team performance against Sussex.
I’ve not had a great season so far, I’ll be honest. To get out there and get some runs is always nice and to contribute in the field is always nice as well. It’s a long old competition so hopefully the body holds up.
It’s a really big weekend coming up for us. Travelling all the way down the country can take a lot out of you. We’ll be switched on and if we can walk away from it with one or two wins then that sets us a really nice platform to go into the two home games next week.
We’re all really excited to get back on the road and it’s a day-night fixture at Taunton on Friday as well so that makes it even more exciting.
Squad v Somerset (8 August)
Colin Ackermann, Scott Borthwick, Paul Coughlin, George Drissell, Emilio Gay, Mitchell Killeen, Stanley McAlindon, James Minto, Haydon Mustard, Will Rhodes, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson*+, Codi Yusuf
Opposition Corner
Captain: James Rew
2024 Position: Finalists
2024 Most Runs: Andy Umeed (492)
2024 Most Wickets: Jack Leach (15)
Why they can win the competition: The loss of eight players to The Hundred is less than last season when Somerset still finished runners-up in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, winning six of their eight group games and a semi-final against Leicestershire before losing a rain-affected final against Glamorgan. That was the third trophy to narrowly elude the team last summer and the bitter memory will strengthen resolve to go one better.
Player to watch: Andy Umeed has flourished in the 50-over competition over the past two seasons, hitting three centuries in 2023 and another against Kent last year on his way topping Somerset’s One-Day Cup batting averages. Overlooked in other competitions this season, the 29-year-old Scot will be keen to reproduce the exciting form that launched his career with the club.
Young gun: At the tender age of 17, Thomas Rew already boasts the fastest century for England Under-19s, made against India this summer, and looks set to follow elder brother James into the Somerset team on a regular basis, having made his debut in this season’s Vitality Blast. Long rated the club’s brightest prospect, the One Day Cup looks sure to showcase his special talent.
Final thought: Even without the players on duty in The Hundred, Somerset have enough experience blended with exciting young talent to deservedly rank among the favourites for the One-Day Cup. Support for 50-over cricket remains strong at the Cooper Associates County Ground and the team are guaranteed fervent backing while looking to capitalise to the bat-friendly pitches at their home venue.
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 Somerset’s YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.