DURHAM are hoping the Mustard and Onions combination will regain its old bite this year following the disappointments of last season.

Injuries restricted Graham Onions to six LV County Championship games, in which he took 12 wickets compared with 70 and 64 in the previous two seasons. And when he made his comeback to competitive action for the MCC against Yorkshire last week he suffered a groin injury.

But he plans to bowl in the nets tomorrow and Durham coach Jon Lewis said: “If he feels OK he will play against the university next week. He would have to play in that to prove his fitness for our first game at Taunton, starting on Sunday week.”

Phil Mustard was dropped for the first time in his career at the end of last season and admitted at yesterday's pre-season photo-call: “It was disappointing. It's tough when that happens but it was for the right reasons.

“You get knocked down now and then but it's how you come back that counts. It just wasn't my year, but one bad season in 14 is not a bad ratio.

“I moved up to No 5 at the start of the season and I enjoyed that. I scored more runs there than lower down the order, but the way I play there's always going to be a loose shot now and then. I got moved down to seven, then eight, then I was out of the team.

“When you're not scoring runs your confidence takes a knock, but I still back myself 100 per cent to be the best wicketkeeper/batsman in the country.

“I had a few good weeks playing in Bangladesh before Christmas and in early March I had a really intense week of going through my footwork drills and catching drills. So I feel ready to go again.”

John Hastings has signed for the full season and will arrive on Friday from Australia, where he was the leading wicket-taker in the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament.

Other counties are still making T20 signings, but Durham currently have no plans to bring in any more overseas men.

Lewis said: “John Hastings is a much sought after T20 man. We are delighted to have him and he can't wait to get here.

“Some counties have signed big-name players who will only play in two or three games, which is not something we would do.

“If Ben Stokes and Mark Wood do well on England's tour of the West Indies we might have to plan without them for the rest of the summer and then we might look at bringing in someone of the right quality for the T20. I'm sure the club would be supportive if the right person was available.

“We haven't made as big an impact as we should have done in T20 and we really want to get the supporters to another finals day.

“We are optimistic on all three fronts. We are proud that our recent history in the championship is as strong as anybody's and whenever you win a trophy you want to defend it, so the 50-over cup is something we will target again.”

The three-day match against Durham University as the Emirates ICG starts next Tuesday and the championship match at Taunton five days later. The only squad member definitely ruled out is left-arm seamer Jamie Harrison, who will begin his comeback after a knee operation in the opening second X1 fixture at Bristol on April 13.