SCOTT Borthwick returns to the scene of his Durham debut this evening hoping for a similar result.

In the 2008 Twenty20 match at Old Trafford the leg-spinner took three for 23 and Durham reached a target of 181 with an over to spare thanks to South African Albie Morkel.

Borthwick has had a roller-coaster ride in this season's Friends Life t20 competition, but Old Trafford is usually more spin-friendly than Emirates Durham, where he suffered a mauling in Friday's defeat by Yorkshire.

With two wins and two defeats so far, Durham cannot afford another setback at the start of a week which sees them entertain Derbyshire on Wednesday and visit Trent Bridge on Friday.

Borthwick's two for 22 at Derby last Wednesday earned him the Man of the Match award and he had also taken two wickets in the win at Headingley.

The signs were that his confidence had been restored after he struggled in the first half of the season, when he wasn't helped by the conditions.

One-day skipper Dale Benkenstein, who has bowled him late in the innings, said: "When the ball is older he gets more spin.

"It would also be more difficult for him to bowl during the powerplay when he wouldn't have his fielders back. When I bowled him at the death at Headingley he showed real guts and a cool head."

In the first half of the championship programme Borthwick bowled only 17.5 overs and took one wicket, and he was expensive in the CB 40 League until he bowled a good spell against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay in the final match before the T20 started.

Herschelle Gibbs, who made 74 on Friday, still believes that Durham can progress in the competition.

H said: "It's normally a good pitch at Old Trafford so I'm looking forward to it and the boys will be hungry.

"The margins are very fine in this form of cricket and we need to build partnerships to give ourselves a chance. Our batting can improve, but now I've had a look at the team I believe we can go deep into this competition.

"It's not every day you score 70 and lose, but that's Twenty20. David Miller took it away from us in the last two overs of the Yorkshire innings. We left Scott Borthwick on because he's been bowling with confidence and on another day he could have gone for a lot less."

Benkenstein's own struggles are not helping Durham. Since scoring 25 in the opening match he has totalled eight runs in three innings, while the man just below him in the order, Gordon Muchall, has yet to be dismissed.

He has totalled 85 in four innings, looking much more confident when given the freedom to strike the ball down the order in this form of cricket than when asked to bat at three in the championship.