DURHAM'S one-day captain, Mark Stoneman, will welcome back four-day skipper Paul Collingwood for tonight's second NatWest T20 Blast match at Old Trafford.

During his team's remarkable win at Edgbaston this week Collingwood bowled a few overs when they were struggling on the first morning.

“I think he was dropping a hint that he's fit to bowl,” said Stoneman, who had joined forces with coach Jon Lewis in persuading Collingwood to sit out the opening defeat at Worcester last Friday.

He had not previously bowled this season because of a sore toe, but Stoneman admitted: “His record with the ball in T20 in the last two years has been fantastic.

“His changes of pace are very effective in the middle overs and I think he's happy to see himself as more of a bowler now in white ball cricket. He's very keen to play, even batting down the order.

“We have a young, exciting team and we're looking forward to visiting the reigning T20 champions. We had a good win at Old Trafford last year and we will again look to take the game to them and put them under pressure.”

Although they will not hurry Chris Rushworth back into action, he is fit again and Durham will soon have extra bowling options with Mark Wood's recovery from an ankle operation going well.

Wood, who was with the squad at Worcester, said: “I'm ahead of schedule and I'll be back in mid-June.”

That means he could be ready for the sixth of the 14 T20 matches at Northampton, which Durham might see as a good way to ease the England paceman back into action.

Following Collingwood's omission at Worcester, where Tom Kohler-Cadmore thrashed 127, Lewis said: “Paul recognises that the game is moving forward and he has to be able to contribute as an all-rounder. His record in bowling the middle overs is excellent.”

After seeing his side concede more than ever before in T20 cricket, Lewis added: “It was tough, but we have to give a lot of credit to Kohler-Cadmore. He struck the ball really well. There were plenty of things to feel good about. When you are chasing that sort of total it's tricky, but we were in the game until the 15th over of our reply.”