DURHAM will have to beware the overseas contingent again when they face Northamptonshire at Riverside over the next five days.

After EU-qualified Australian seamers Matt Mason and Mark Harrity played a big part in bowling them to defeat at Worcester last week, this time they have four Aussies to worry about.

Visiting skipper Mike Hussey, a prolific left-handed opening batsman, is in his third season as the county's overseas player, although he missed last season's visit to Riverside because of Australia A duties.

Their other temporary overseas man is Tasmanian seamer Damien Wright, who is standing in for Andre Nel while he completes his duties with the South African one-day squad.

Then there are the two English-qualified batsmen, Sydney-born Jeff Cook, who has been in this country for ten years, and Phil Jacques.

A former New South Wales player, Jaques is in his first season with Northants and has a first-class average of 71.6. He also scored 117 in Sunday's National League match against Hampshire.

By virtue of winning their last two matches on home pitches which have suddenly gone from the best batting surfaces in the country to the worst, Northants have shot up to third place in division two, four places and 30.25 points above Durham, who have a game in hand.

Durham will have a trio of Nickys in their team as Phillips of that ilk is joined by Peng and Hatch, who replace Martin Love and Stephen Harmison.

Until Harmison was surprisingly released for one game by England, Hatch was due to play at Worcester, where the pitch would have suited him.

He bowls at a similar pace and from an even greater height than the 6ft 5in Mason, who settled the match with the first six-wicket haul of his career in Durham's second innings.

Peng was dropped for the Worcester match, but earns a swift reprieve because of Love's return to Australia for three weeks for the two Tests against Bangladesh.

After the four-day game, Durham play the same opponents in the National League on Sunday.

Durham: J J B Lewis (capt), M A Gough, G J Muchall, G J Pratt, N Peng, V J Wells, P Mustard, L Plunkett, N C Phillips, Shoaib Akhtar, N G Hatch.