Who are the key players? How did they do last year? Where are they strong? Where might they be weak? Key questions answered ahead of the new T20 Blast campaign
Coach: James Franklin
Captain: TBC
Last season: Fourth in North Group
How did they do last year?
Durham narrowly missed out on qualification for the latter stages last time around, finishing two points behind Leicestershire, who themselves were only an outfield fumble away from a place at Finals Day after a tie with Nottinghamshire in the quarter-finals.
In the case of James Franklin’s men, however, it was a matter of what might have been: their net run rate was superior to that of the two teams above them, with Lancashire also heading through above Leicestershire but behind Notts, the dominant, eventual champions.
Local seamer Matty Potts was the county’s breakthrough star, ending as Durham’s joint-leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps in 10 games and earning a contract in The Hundred as a result. Paul Coughlin, back at the club for a second spell, also claimed 13 wickets, albeit at an economy rate three runs more expensive than Potts.
Who are their key players?
This might just be a transitionary campaign for Durham, who released captain Nathan Rimmington at the end of last season and lost Scott Steel – one of the players of the tournament in 2019 – to Leicestershire after he rejected the offer of a new deal following the 2020 campaign.
David Bedingham, a red-ball run machine through April and May, will take up overseas duties, with the return of Scott Borthwick adding quality with the bat and supplementary spin option to that offered by left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis, who was ever-present last year.
Alex Lees averaged 52.14 in the 2020 competition, complete with four fifties, with Graham Clark the next-highest run-scorer. The left-hander, however, will miss this year's tournament after breaking his hand in the final round of County Championship matches before the beginning of the Blast. Much is thought of Brydon Carse (462nd in the men's T20 Player Index), who somehow claimed just three wickets in 10 games last year despite the threat carried by his pace and bounce.
Ben Stokes and Mark Wood could both be available for Durham this summer
What are their biggest strengths?
Durham’s seam attack is the envy of many on the county circuit, with Mark Wood to be added into the mix at some stage later this summer, as well as the very real prospect of a first Ben Stokes appearance in a Durham shirt for three years. The England allrounder is on the mend after breaking his finger during his solitary Indian Premier League appearance for Rajasthan Royals.
His impact would be a bonus for head coach Franklin and director of cricket Marcus North, while the development of Potts into a fine white-ball bowler has been the latest success story at a club committed to developing its own players.
Ben Raine, an effective seamer in the LV= Insurance County Championship, played exclusively as a batsman in last year’s Blast, hitting two half-centuries in seven games. Gaps left by Rimmington and South African Farhaan Behardien, both of whom have departed since the conclusion of last year, will need to be filled, but Durham should be well-placed to plug those holes.
Where might they have a weakness?
Only four Durham players scored more than 97 runs in last season’s competition. Without Lees, the return of Borthwick is especially timely.
With the ball, replacing Rimmington won’t be straightforward; he bowled 30 overs last season, though Raine perhaps can take on that mantle in his absence.
The departure of Steel was a shame, given the excitement around his first year in a Durham shirt when he formed a destructive partnership with D’Arcy Short. He managed just 40 runs in 10 matches in 2020, however.
What are their chances of reaching Finals Day?
In a competitive North Group, reaching Finals Day would be an immense feat – and one that perhaps feels unlikely at this stage.
Possible XI: Cameron Bancroft, Ben Stokes, Graham Clark, Ben Raine, David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick, Stuart Poynter, Brydon Carse, Liam Trevaskis, Matty Potts, Mark Wood
Fixtures: June 11 – Yorkshire (h); June 13 – Leicestershire (a); June 15 – Notts (h); June 17 – Lancashire (h); June 18 – Yorkshire (a); June 20 – Birmingham (h); June 23 – Northants (h); June 25 – Worcestershire (a); June 26 – Birmingham (a); June 30 – Northants (a); July 2 – Leicestershire (h); July 9 – Derbyshire (h)
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