Durham Women head on the road looking to make it two in two when they take on Nottinghamshire side The Blaze at Trent Bridge tomorrow [11am] in the Vitality Blast.
Danielle Hazell has named an unchanged squad of 13 as Durham look for their fourth win of the Vitality Blast ahead of their trip to the Midlands.
Hazell’s side sit seventh in the Vitality Blast group and face a Blaze side who are flying currently occupying second spot with six wins and just one defeat from nine games.
Bess Heath remains unavailable as she remains with England A who are currently taking on New Zealand A in a three match T20 series.
Suzie Bates is Durham’s leading run scorer in the competition with 329 runs while Katie Levick’s nine poles has her topping the wicket taking tally.
Squad v The Blaze (6 July)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, Leah Dobson, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers+, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Mady Villiers, Emily Windsor
Opposition Corner
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Overseas players: Maddy Green (New Zealand, first four matches), Heather Graham (Australia, last 10 matches)
Key winter moves: The big change for The Blaze has been off the pitch, where former New Zealand Test batter Craig Cumming takes over as head coach in place of Chris Guest, who guided the Trent Bridge-based team to its first silverware in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition in 2024. Cumming arrives with a winning pedigree, though, having won two trophies in four years with Otago Sparks.
The big question: After last season’s impressive campaign established The Blaze at the top of the pile in the 20-over format, can anyone knock them off their perch? South East Stars, who ran them closest in 2024, have morphed into Surrey Women, with whom The Blaze shared 692 runs in an incredible 50-over tie at Beckenham earlier this month. There may be little between them over 20 overs too.
Wildcard watch: Charley Phillips – Such is the depth of The Blaze squad, some 15 of their number are already signed up for the 2025 edition of The Hundred. If they are to be joined by another team-mate, it may be Charley Phillips, who arrived from Sunrisers in the close season as a young bowler with pace and has already made a good impression.
Final thought: The Blaze squad contains four current England players but it is their Scottish triumvirate – skipper Kirstie Gordon and the Bryce sisters, Kathryn and Sarah – who are the heart of the team. Gordon was the leading 20-over wicket-taker in 2024, Kathryn Bryce the top runscorer and wicket-keeper Sarah had only one in front of her in the dismissals table. They may hold the keys to success again in 2025.
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 The YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.