Durham head south for back-to-back T20s over the weekend, facing Hampshire Hawks at Arundel Castle before taking on Surrey at the Kia Oval.
Dani Hazell has named a squad of 13 for Saturday’s Hampshire clash as Lizzie Scott returns to the fold after recovering from injury and featuring for Durham Second XI earlier this week.
Mia Rogers is unavailable to face the Hawks but will join up with the squad for Sunday’s fixture at the Kia Oval, making the group 14-strong to take on Surrey.
Hazell’s squad is otherwise unchanged and will be looking to bounce back from defeats to The Bears and Lancashire Thunder at the start of the Vitality Blast.
Durham face a Hampshire side who currently sit third with two wins from their opening two games against Lancashire and Essex.
Surrey sit second with two wins from two before facing Lancashire on Saturday.
Words from Dani Hazell
(On defeat to Thunder) Should we have knocked that score off? Yes. Having put ourselves in that position it’s always disappointing to lose.
We had three seamers under the age of 22 and they stood up in the powerplay and they stood up throughout the game. It was a good wicket and 140 was probably par. But we just got ourselves in a hole and it’s sometimes difficult to get out of a hole in T20 cricket.
There were two brilliant catches against Lancashire, our ground fielding was outstanding. It was the last eight overs of our innings that killed us. There are positives but equally it’s about winning games of cricket and now we’ve got to make sure there’s no other option but to push forward.
We’ve got on an opportunity now with two games away from home this weekend. If we’re going to do it, we have to do it the hard way.
Squad v Hampshire Hawks (7 June)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Bess Heath+, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Lizzie Scott, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Mady Villiers
Opposition Corner
Captain: Georgia Adams
Overseas players: Charli Knott (Australia, full competition), Ellyse Perry (Australia, last six matches + Finals Day if Hawks qualify)
Key winter moves: The Vipers to Hawks transition saw more outgoings than incomings – with the likes of Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Georgia Elwiss, Emily Windsor, Alice Monaghan and Charlie Dean all departing. With younger players given more chances and responsibility. But one new face looms large – the Australian great Ellyse Perry.
The big question: Will Ellyse Perry get Hawks over the line when she arrives? There is huge excitement about Perry’s signing but her introduction at Chesterfield on July 4, with six matches to go, may well be perfectly timed to get them to Finals Day, but equally Hampshire could be only playing for pride.
Wildcard watch: Mary Taylor. The fast bowler missed the start of the season with a finger injury but her return in the Vitality County Cup saw her take a four for 26 in an innings none of her team-mates went at under 10s and Surrey smashed 237. A bustling and uber-accurate presence with the ball, Taylor is also more than capable of bunting late-innings runs.
Final thought: The likes of Ella McCaughan, Rhianna Southby, and Bex Tyson massively stepped up in the first Metro Bank One-Day Cup block to fill the experience void, and send Hampshire top of the 50-over table. A replication of that, and Maia Bouchier shaking off her Ashes disappointments, put Hawks in a good position to continue the proud record of women’s cricket at Utilita Bowl. Paul Prichard and co. have seamlessly made sure there has been no disruption since Charlotte Edwards’ exit.
Match Centre
The Club’s match centre will be in operation for the fixtures with live scorecards, statistics & video highlights as they happen. You can watch the game live via Durham’s match centre and Hampshire’s and Surrey’s YouTube channels. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with full match reports at the close.