Ryan Campbell has named a squad of 14 as Durham kickstart their Vitality Blast campaign at Edgbaston against Birmingham Bears on Saturday 31 May.
Following on from Durham Women’s opening fixture at 12pm, Campbell’s side will start at 4pm with both matches being broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Overseas signings Jimmy Neesham and Zak Foulkes are in line to make their Durham debuts with Somerset loanee Kasey Aldridge also in contention to make his bow for the Club.
After spending the winter away from the North East, Bas de Leede and Nathan Sowter have returned and are available for their first Durham appearance of the season.
James Minto is part of the travelling group and could make his first T20 appearance for Durham whilst Will Rhodes is in contention to play his first T20 for Durham against his former side.
Words from Ryan Campbell
The T20 Blast is such a tough competition especially up here in the North so we need to start really well. As soon as the last ball was bowled against Somerset our focus fairly and squarely was switched to the white ball game.
Zak [Foulkes] is a really exciting player. If you’re playing international cricket at his age, you’re doing something very right. He bowls all the tough overs in the powerplay and at the death and his batting is quite unique. I am really excited about seeing him in a Durham shirt.
(On Jimmy Neesham) It’s one that we’ve worked on for a while. He is a guy that’s done it everywhere. He is hard-hitting and is going to take over our death hitting role as well as bowling all the tough overs. The big thing for me is the flexibility he brings to our team.
We have to make sure that this club understands that T20 cricket is really important to us and that we keep improving each year because if we stand still, we’ll go backwards. We know that all the other teams are trying to make Finals Day as well. Hopefully you’ll see an exciting and refreshed Durham team trying to put on a show.
Squad v Birmingham Bears (31 May)
Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, Graham Clark, Bas de Leede, George Drissell, Zak Foulkes, Alex Lees*, James Minto, Jimmy Neesham, Callum Parkinson, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson+, Nathan Sowter
Opposition Corner
Captain: Alex Davies
Overseas players: Tom Latham
Finals Day appearances: Four (2003, 2014, 2015, 2017)
Titles: One (2014)
2024 finish: Quarter-finals
2024 leading run scorer: Sam Hain (569)
2024 leading wicket taker: Danny Briggs (29)
Key winter moves: It was all change off the field during the close season but the Bears’ T20 side on the field is likely to be little changed beyond the arrival of New Zealand batter Tom Latham. Aussie all-rounder Beau Webster was initially signed for the Blast but has been called up by his national team.
The big question: After four successive quarter-final defeats, the big question among the Bears’ fans is can they overcome the nerves of big knockout games? Clearing the memory of last year’s quarter-final implosion against Gloucestershire at Edgbaston, when they failed to chase 138, will surely be a driving force.
Wildcard watch: Ethan Bamber. Short-format cricket thrives on exuberance and Bamber has it by the bucketload. An attacking player with ball or bat, he makes things happen and has infectious energy in the field. Bamber moved from Middlesex to Warwickshire to kick-start his career and the early signs are he has done exactly that.
Final thought: There is much talk of the quarter-final hoodoo but a lot of hard work remains ahead before that even becomes an issue, The Bears have scintillated at times in the group stage in recent years only to then falter. To reach a fifth successful quarter-final would be a notable effort in itself…then they can try to get their heads round the hoodoo!
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.