Durham return to Chester-le-Street to take on Leicestershire Foxes in the Club’s first home T20 double header of the summer tomorrow, Sunday 24 May.
Ryan Campbell has named an unchanged squad of 14 from Friday’s six-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons with James Minto, Luke Robinson and Haydon Mustard all vying for a spot in the 11.
Durham picked up four points from their Blast opener defending a total of 203/8 at the Central Co-op County Ground after Alex Lees (54) and Ollie Robinson (48) set the platform.
The Foxes meanwhile suffered an 18-run defeat in their opening Blast game against Worcestershire Rapids, posting 170 in response to the Rapids’ 188 total at Uptonsteel Grace Road with half-centuries for Nick Kelly and Ben Cox.
Durham sit second in the North Group, with Yorkshire also having claimed victory in the opening round.
Words from Ryan Campbell
(On Derbyshire Falcons win) It was a great game of cricket and that’s what we need. People coming out on a Friday night, two good teams going at it, that’s this competition, anyone can beat anyone.
On a different day, Derbyshire get over the line there. I thought Montgomery was fantastic but then I thought Matthew Potts was unbelievable in the last three, four balls because he nailed his yorkers, he had the courage to nail his go-to ball.
That’s the thing about Matthew Potts, his character can never be questioned. He’ll always believe and as a team we always believe in T20 cricket you’ve got to be able to put the ball before out of your mind and no bigger time was that in that last over.
It all came down to the last over and I think if you’re a Derbyshire fan you think you’re going to win after the first two balls, if you’re a Durham fan you’re hanging on the edge of your seat and then Matthew delivers what we know he can deliver.
Squad v Leicestershire Foxes (24 May)
Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, David Bedingham, Graham Clark, Alex Lees*, James Minto, Haydon Mustard, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson+, Nathan Sowter.
Opposition Corner
Captain: Ben Green.
Overseas players: Ashton Turner (Australia, all), Ajaz Patel (New Zealand, all), Nick Kelly (New Zealand, all)
Finals Day appearances: Five (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011)
Titles: Three (2004, 2006, 2011)
2025 finish: 7th in North Group
2025 leading run-scorer: Sol Budinger (358)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Logan van Beek (22)
Key winter moves: The Foxes have recruited well from overseas and at home with five-times Big Bash League winning and former Durham all-rounder Ashton Turner their marquee signing, along with New Zealand batter Nick Kelly and left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. Domestic arrivals Ben Green and Josh Davey are both Vitality Blast winners with Somerset, while Stephen Eskinazi is a Big Bash winner with Turner’s Perth Scorchers.
The big question: The Foxes have a storied history in this competition but have been underwhelming in recent seasons. This summer, though, they will have a lot of winning experience to call on after a busy winter of recruitment. After winning the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and the Division Two title in recent seasons, can Leicestershire now silence their doubters in this format too?
Wildcard watch: After missing out on a gig in The Hundred last summer, Rishi Patel will be eager to put matters right this time. A player with a 41-ball T20 century to his name, the elegant right-hand batter will hope he can carry forward his good early season red-ball form and make a big impact in the short format.
Final thought: Ben Green has led something of a double life the last couple of years, becoming a red-ball favourite during several spells on loan at Uptonsteel Grace Road, while at the same time remaining a key part of Somerset’s Vitality Blast line-up, with whom he reached four finals in five years, winning two of them. After finally signing him on a permanent deal, the Foxes wasted no time in making him their T20 captain. It could be one of their shrewdest decisions.
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 Durham’s YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.