Durham women will be looking to round off their Vitality Blast campaign with a win when they travel to Essex on Friday in their final T20 game of the summer at 6pm.
Dani Hazell has named a squad of 13 for the trip to Chelmsford which sees just one change from the 14 which were in contention to face Surrey on Tuesday. Lizzie Scott drops out of the 14 in what is an otherwise unchanged squad.
Hazell’s side sit in fifth place in the Blast with 25 points, having gone five games unbeaten and face an Essex side who are second bottom with three wins from 13 with 15 points.
With just three teams progressing to finals day in September at the Kia Oval, Durham are no longer able to qualify with Surrey, The Blaze and Bears securing the top three spots going into the final round of games.
Suzie Bates is the top run scorer in the Women’s Vitality Blast with 394 runs in 12 innings while Katie Levick is Durham’s top wicket taker with 12 scalps in the competition this summer.
Words from Dani Hazell
It’s been a little bit up and down the season so far. With a young side, there have been a lot of learnings.
That we’re starting to get recognition with girls in the Hundred and in England A teams, it’s a big bonus for us. But there’s a long way to go.
I know we can’t get through in this T20 stuff, but we still can in the 50-overs.
It’s massive to win last two T20s before the Surrey washout, we talk about trying to get that winning momentum.
In the first block of the T20s, we were on the other side of that. So it’s been good to get some wins, and it’s a chance now to kick on for the rest of the season.
Squad v Essex (17 July)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, Leah Dobson, Katherine Fraser, Bess Heath, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Mady Villiers, Emily Windsor
Opposition Corner
Captain: Grace Scrivens
Overseas players: Maddie Penna (Australia, full competition)
Key winter moves: Seasoned opener and wicketkeeper Lauren Winfield-Hill has moved to Chelmsford on a loan deal from Yorkshire for the duration of the Blast. The arrival of Penna – part of the Adelaide Strikers squad that won successive Women’s Big Bash League titles – will strengthen Essex’s options in the middle-order batting and leg-spin departments.
The big question: How do Essex reshuffle their bowling attack to compensate for Sophie Munro’s absence? The seamer caught the eye during Sunrisers’ T20 campaign last year, finishing as their leading wicket-taker, but is currently out with a back injury. Despite their potent spin line-up, Essex will need alternatives to fill Munro’s role at the back end of the innings.
Wildcard watch: Esmae MacGregor. The 20-year-old can vary her pace and bowled well in the powerplay overs during Essex’s recent T20 County Cup defeat to Yorkshire. Although she featured more prominently in 50-over cricket last season, Munro’s injury could mean that MacGregor finds herself shouldering greater responsibility in the shorter format over the coming weeks.
Final thought: Essex should be capable of posting challenging totals in this tournament. As well as Winfield-Hill and Grace Scrivens at the top of the order, they can expect runs from the likes of Cordelia Griffith, Jodi Grewcock and Sophia Smale – while Jo Gardner, who begins the Blast in impressive form with the bat, could take on the finisher’s role. But they will also need to develop a ruthless streak that has so far been lacking in their 50-over campaign.
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 on Durham’s YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.