Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...
Fixture: Durham v Worcestershire
Venue: Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street
Dates: Thursday, May 13, 2021 - Sunday, May 16, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Worcestershire picked up a fifth straight draw from the rain-affected draw with Warwickshire keeping them in third place in third place in Group One and still in contention for a top-two finish.
Durham have had a tumultuous start to the season with two strong showings in drawn fixtures; a sparkling innings victory over Warwickshire and a quite debilitating loss to Essex. With a game in hand over all those above them, Durham will be looking to make good of this opportunity to leapfrog their opponents.
Who's in form?
It’s a battle of the run machines with David Bedingham and Jake Libby, who have the best two averages in the County Championship, going head to head.
They have matched each other blow for blow so far in 2021, with both registering two fifties and two centuries, only separated by Bedingham’s maiden first-class double hundred, which came against Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street last month.
With Durham not featuring in the previous round of fixtures, Bedingham will be keen to get back out and continue his excellent start to the season.
Brydon Carse has led the way with the ball, taking 19 wickets at 17.78 in the three fixtures he has played this year. Followed closely by the ever-consistent Chris Rushworth (17 wickets at 18.70).
Worcestershire will be looking to skipper Joe Leach and overseas Alzarri Joseph for some inspiration as they look to bag 20 wickets for the first time this season.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Durham: WDLDD
Worcestershire: DDDDD
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 30
Durham wins: 11
Worcestershire wins: 8
Draws: 11
Abandoned: 2
What's the team news?
Durham have added Matt Salisbury to their squad for the visit of Worcestershire after he was rested against Warwickshire.
Cameron Bancroft has arrived in the UK and will be available for the clash with Derbyshire next week.
Will Young plays the final game of his spell at Chester-le-Street before joining up with New Zealand's Test squad.
Squad: Scott Borthwick (c), David Bedingham, Jack Burnham, Brydon Carse, Paul Coughlin, Ned Eckersley, Ben Raine, Chris Rushworth, Matt Salisbury, Liam Trevaskis, Alex Lees, Stuart Poynter, Mark Wood, Will Young
Worcestershire: Alzarri Joseph has been rested in keeping with Worcestershire’s rotation policy. He is replaced by Adam Finch, aside from that the Midlands squad remains unchanged.
Squad: Jake Libby, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Fell, Jack Haynes, Brett D’Oliveira, Riki Wessels, Ben Cox (wk), Ed Barnard, Joe Leach (c), Josh Tongue, Gareth Roderick, Charlie Morris, Dillon Pennington, Adam Finch
Latest Durham news: Click here
Latest Worcestershire news: Click here
Who's said what?
After having a week off due to a break in the fixture list, Durham chief Jamies Franklin is urged his side to concentrate from ball one in an effort to shake off any ring rust.
“Most of the guys have had a good four or five day off since the Warwickshire game, just having some time away from cricket, after a fairly busy four to five weeks,” he said.
“They had a few hits last week and have been training well this week with some good preparation going into this game.
“We have to make sure we hit the ground running, sometimes after a bit of a break, it takes some time to get back into it, so we have to be on it. Worcestershire have been batting well, but we have to keep our process and do well what we have done in the first four games of the season.”
Meanwhile, Worcestershire coach Alex Gidman is wary of the threat of Durham as his side chase their first win of the campaign.
"It’s an extremely tough group," he said. "When teams are fully fit, and have international players back, there are some really strong teams.
"Durham, with Mark Wood back, at the moment, look like a very strong outfit, so it is another challenging week ahead for us.
"But we are confident. The lads are playing some good cricket, we know we can keep improving, but they are excited about the next fixture."
What's the weather forecast?
Overcast and cold throughout, with a chance of rain on the first morning. With a high of 13 degrees across the four days, it’s going to be a brisk battle up north.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Chester-le-Street: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Durham will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets: This match is to be played behind closed doors owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Prediction?
With both teams scoring runs for fun and Worcestershire struggling to take wickets, it seems only two results are possible. Durham will rely on Rushworth and Carse to do the bulk of the work in pushing for victory. However, with the draw specialists Worcestershire in action, we can only predict another stalemate in this chilly, mid-table contest.
OTHER ROUND SIX PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
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