Durham take on rivals Yorkshire in part two of Friday’s double header in glorious Chester le Street sunshine, kicking off at 6:30pm.
Ben McKinney is included in Ryan Campbell’s 14-player squad as Durham look to bounce back from Wednesday’s six-wicket defeat to Worcestershire Rapids.
McKinney is named in a T20 squad for the first time this season and is in contention to make his third Durham T20 appearance, whilst Emilio Gay could make his first T20 outing in Durham colours.
Campbell’s side took on Yorkshire last Sunday, recording a dominant six-wicket win as Matthew Potts claimed his maiden T20 five-for at Clifton Park.
Durham face a Yorkshire side who have been out of action since Sunday and sit eighth in the North Group with two victories in seven games, whereas Durham currently sit second with four wins from seven.
Words from Will Rhodes
(On Rapids defeat) It was a tough result really, they played outstanding cricket; batting, bowling and fielding, they were just better than us. Unfortunately, I think we were probably 20 runs shy, 155 these days is a tall order to defend.
I think we knew they were going to come hard, and obviously Isaac Mohammed played really, really well. He has got a lovely swing and a bright future in the game as well. So it’s good to see from that point of view, just a shame he did against us!
The power play probably wasn’t good enough with both bat and ball. But they are areas we will address, and then we’ll come back on Friday against Yorkshire.
Squad v Yorkshire (20 June)
Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, Graham Clark, Zak Foulkes, Emilio Gay, Alex Lees*, Ben McKinney, Jimmy Neesham, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson+, Nathan Sowter
Opposition Corner
Captain: Dawid Malan
Overseas players: Will O’Rourke (New Zealand, first eight group games with possible extension), Will Sutherland (Australia, all group stage)
Finals Day appearances: Three (2012, 2016, 2022)
Titles: None
2024 finish: Seventh place in the North Group
2024 leading runscorer: Dawid Malan (420)
2024 leading wicket taker: Jordan Thompson (20)
Key winter moves: While Yorkshire have recruited two exciting overseas signings in all-rounder Will Sutherland and x-factor New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke, the biggest moves have come in the leadership department. Club legend Anthony McGrath returned as coach to replace Ottis Gibson, while the responsibility of replacing Shan Masood as captain was handed to Jonny Bairstow in red-ball cricket and Dawid Malan in the Blast.
The big question: Can Yorkshire finally break their duck in T20 cricket? The White Rose, no longer the Vikings in this format, are one of only four counties never to have won the Blast, alongside Derbyshire, Durham and Glamorgan. With the quality of players they’ve had at their disposal down the years, that they are part of that statistic is a significant surprise.
Wildcard watch: James Wharton. More recognised as a top-order batter, but he has the power to bat a bit further down as well and could, for example, finish an innings. He scored a brilliant 111 not out in a 2023 home win over Worcestershire. Yorkshire’s management rate the 24-year-old incredibly highly, and believe he is not miles away from England honours.
Final thought: Yorkshire’s squad looks very well balanced. Power and poise with the bat, depth in the all-rounder options, quality spin and significant pace with the ball. The prolonged availability of Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan will be vital, while it’s a big campaign for the continued progression of England fringe leg-spinner Jafer Chohan. Fit again seam-bowling all-rounder Matt Milnes (back stress fractures) will be like a new signing. To be successful, Yorkshire must gain the consistency their early-season Championship cricket has lacked.
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.