Durham Diary

The Pakistan coach pitched up at Taunton last Sunday, where Shoaib Akhtar rose Lazarus-like from his sick bed for a lengthy chat. After that it came as no surprise that he was whisked away to the Asia Cup.

He will not be seen in a Durham shirt again, but as long as the current regulations persist with regard to overseas players some other county will no doubt offer him a six-week engagement next year. That's about what he's worth.

When Durham made it clear late last season that they wanted him back this year his demands were initially too high. But by making an element of his payment appearance-related they felt they could afford him, so hopefully the fact that he played in only two championship games means he hasn't broken the bank.

While genuine cricket fans need shed few tears over his departure, it is the latest episode in a saga which can only heighten Durham's opposition to two overseas men per county.

After the injuries in 2002 to Martin Love and Brad Hodge, last season they had Love, Shoaib, Dewald Pretorius and Javagal Srinath at various times yet were able to field two overseas players in only three of their first 13 championship matches.

They expected to begin this season with Shoaib and Herschelle Gibbs but had Marcus North and Reon King instead. Now they are expecting Zimbabwean Andy Blignaut, with yet another replacement to come.

That could be Shaun Tait, a 20-year-old paceman who is in the Australia squad for the current Test matches against Sri Lanka but will not be required for the ICC Champions Trophy.

THE last time Bob Woolmer interfered with Durham was in persuading Melvyn Betts to join him at Warwickshire where, by all accounts, he tinkered with the Sacriston lad's run-up and he's never been the same since.

Six years ago both Betts and Steve Harmison were selected for an England A tour to Zimbabwe and at the time there was little to choose between them. After three fruitless seasons at Edgbaston, Betts is now floundering at Lord's. Middlesex recalled him for the Twenty20 Cup tie against Kent on Friday, when he bowled one over for 16 runs.

THE differences between four-day and one-day bowling can rarely have been highlighted so strongly as in the recent performances of Mark Davies and Neil Killeen.

Davies is still the country's leading wicket-taker in the championship with 42 at an average of 20, while Killeen has taken 12 at 50.

Yet over the last five totesport League games Killeen's figures read 39.3-12-97-11, compared with Davies's 35-5-180-2.

At the start of that five-match period Davies went into the record books with the most economical completed spell by a Durham bowler in the one-day league when he took none for ten in nine overs against Derbyshire.

He followed up with none for nine in five overs against Scotland, but in the last three games he has taken two for 161 in 21 overs and coach Martyn Moxon explains it by saying he is having trouble with the height of his jump into his delivery stride.

It just goes to show that bowlers can lose form just as easily as batsmen, but even if he doesn't take another wicket Davies will still have had a very good season.

Killeen's economy rate of 3.2 runs an over in the totesport League is remarkably good, but batsmen generally have enough respect for him not to surrender their wickets to him in the championship.

Bowling a tight line and length at around 75mph does not earn wickets, but the importance attached to one-day cricket means Durham's longest-serving current player remains a valuable member of the squad.

THE difference between the two forms of the game is also underlined by Gary Pratt's performances this season.

Dropped from the championship side at Cardiff with an average of 18.2, he has since made 67 not out at Taunton and 58 not out at Hove for a totesport average of 58.2.

It may have looked from a distance as though he was playing for his average at Hove, but Shoaib was sent in ahead of him and wasted valuable time, and once Durham were 58 for four they were in a hopeless position. By staying the distance, Pratt at least did his bit for the run rate, which was superior to the two teams above them before the match.

FORMER Durham skipper David Boon seemed to get away with having a middle name of Clarence as his teammates had too much respect for him to use it.

But what will they call Andy Blignaut if the Zimbabwean joins them this week as a temporary overseas player? His real name is apparently Arnoldus, with a middle moniker of Mauritius.