Danielle Hazell has named a 13-player squad as Durham open their maiden T20 Blast campaign at Edgbaston.
Hollie Armitage’s side will take on Birmingham Bears live on Sky Sports Cricket at 12pm before Alex Lees’ side begin their campaign at 4pm.
Lauren Filer has been released from England’s ODI squad to travel to Edgbaston whilst Suzie Bates returns to the reckoning after being ineligible to feature in last week’s County Cup quarter-final against Surrey.
Grace Thompson and Trudy Johnson are also in contention to feature against Birmingham Bears after missing out with exams last Friday.
Leah Dobson, Emily Windsor, Lizzie Scott remain unavailable for selection due to injury.
Words from Danielle Hazell
The season has gone really fast so far and now the Blast has come around and we are looking forward to it. T20 is obviously a very exciting form of the game. It’s a really exciting time for the girls and the Club and we are really looking forward to it.
It is a completely different format, it could take one person having a really good day out to win the game. We take it as a fresh approach. We have practiced really well over the last few days and we are looking forward to getting started now.
The squad is similar but Lauren Filer comes back into the squad for Saturday and I think that is a big boost for everybody. We have a few girls that are starting to get closer to returning from injury so hopefully over the next few weeks we start to see some different faces around the group and pushing the girls.
We’ve had a good week of preparation and tried to home in on a few T20 skills. Bowlers have had the chance to get their T20 skills up and running a bit more. It’s always exciting when you go into T20 cricket. A few more shots come out of the locker and we are braver in how we approach things but it’s still about playing the game in front of us and making smart decisions.
Squad v Birmingham Bears (31 May)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, Lauren Filer, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Bess Heath+, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Mady Villiers
Opposition Corner
Captain: Georgia Davis
Overseas players: Laura Harris (Australia, full competition)
Key winter moves: Bears entered the new era needing to keep up without the Joneses (Amy and Eve) after they departed to The Blaze and Lancashire respectively. That drained the top order of experience which the signing of Laura Harris is designed to rectify while Sterre Kalis is on a season’s loan from Yorkshire.
The big question: Consistency has proved elusive for the Bears in the early weeks of the season so can they find enough to be contenders for the T20 title? They have individuals capable of match-winning exploits, and have pulled off some eye-catching run chases in the 50-over comp, but is the group good enough to challenge?
Wildcard watch: Amu Surenkumar, a highly talented, 18-year-old all-rounder from Rugby School who can change games with bat or ball. Played for England Under-19s earlier this year has the ability to make a big impact if her chance arrives after the important matter of her A Levels are out of the way!
Final thought: A fast start is always a massive asset in a group campaign and Warwickshire have been handed a very tough opening with away games at The Blaze and Essex. Emerge from that double-header with at least one win and who knows what might happen for a team whose highly-talented spin trio – Georgia Davis, Hannah Baker and Charis Pavely – can put any side under pressure?
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 match will also be available to watch on Sky Sports Cricket and Warwickshire YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.