Durham head to South Northumberland tomorrow looking to round off their home Metro Bank group stage campaign with a win.
Ryan Campbell has named a 15-player squad in contention to face Somerset which includes four additions to the squad which was last named to face Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
Bas de Leede has been released from the Northern Superchargers squad and is in line to make his Durham List A debut on Thursday, while Tom Mackintosh, Brandon Glover and Mitchell Killeen return to the fold.
Following Graham Clark’s call up to the Hundred for the Oval Invincibles – Tom Mackintosh is likely to take the gloves having been recalled to the Durham squad.
With 3 games of the group stage to go Durham remain in the mix to qualify for the knockout stages but will likely need to win their final three games. Durham are in 6th place with 5 points, 1 point behind Northamptonshire in 2nd place.
Somerset have lost 10 players to The Hundred and sit bottom of Group B with 1 win while Durham have lost 9 to the Hundred.
Words from Ryan Campbell
We didn’t perform well at all against Northamptonshire on Sunday and now we find ourselves up against it. We’re probably going to have to win our last three games to qualify. Hopefully, we can see a few faces pop up for us on Thursday. If that’s not the case so be it. The guys that we have here have to bring their A-game and take their opportunities because if they don’t stand up, they’re not going to be in the team.
I am massive fan of taking cricket to the people, any opportunity you get to play at an out ground is exciting. That was the disappointing thing about not playing at Neath with the weather. You have to get out there and give cricket to the people, all I have heard is good things about cricket being played at South North, so I hope there is going to be a big crowd there on Thursday and we put on a good show for everyone.
Squad v Somerset [17th August]
David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick, Jonathan Bushnell, Paul Coughlin, Bas de Leede, George Drissell, Oliver Gibson, Michael Jones, Mitchell Killeen, Alex Lees*,Tom Mackintosh+ Migael Pretorius, Luke Robinson, Liam Trevaskis
Opposition Corner
SOMERSET
Captain: Sean Dickson
Overseas players: Curtis Campher (Ireland)
2022 finish: Eighth (Group A)
2022 leading runscorer: James Rew (376)
2022 leading wicket taker: Kasey Aldridge (13)
Key player: Sean Dickson – The former Durham opener has had to overcome a difficult start to his Somerset career in red ball cricket this season, but blossomed in the Vitality Blast, earning lasting popularity with supporters by top-scoring in Vitality Blast Finals Day victories over Surrey and Essex after going in both times with his side in trouble.
Young Player to watch: Alfie Ogborne – The Yeovil-born left-arm seamer was still a teenager when breaking into Somerset’s team in this competition a year ago and when making his first-class debut this season, claiming match figures of three wickets for 89 runs from 28 overs in a drawn LV= Insurance County Championship match against Hampshire at Taunton.
Final thought: James Rew and Kasey Aldridge, top run-maker and wicket-taker respectively in last season’s competition, have both gone on to play regular County Championship cricket this season and Somerset will be hoping for similar development from some of the youngsters who will benefit from the absence of ten senior players in The Hundred.