DURHAM, still bottom of the second division and without three England players, visit Chesterfield today to play Derbyshire, whose last England Test player was Dominic Cork 20 years ago.

Keaton Jennings has joined Ben Stokes and Mark Wood in the England squad for the first Test against South Africa, starting on Thursday, forcing Durham to field a makeshift pair of openers.

With Tom Latham ruled out by his foot injury, Cameron Steel will be joined at the top of the order by either Graham Clark or Michael Richardson.

Usman Arshad comes into the squad for the first time this season after his ankle operation and if he plays will be the tenth seamer to represent Durham this season.

Seven of those have been injured at some stage, the exceptions being Wood, who has been on England duty most of the season, Barry McCarthy, who has spent time with Ireland, and Matthew Potts.

The choice for the final place from the 13-man squad lies between Potts, Arshad and left-arm spinner George Harding, who is included in case a dry pitch has been prepared to suit Imran Tahir.

The 38-year-old leg-spinner, born in Pakistan, but now a South Africa one-day player, will be playing for his fifth county after failing to impress in a trial with Durham seconds ten years ago.

Derbyshire might like to include both Tahir and Afghanistan-born off-pinner Hamidullah Qadri, who at 16 became the first player born in the 21st century to play county cricket last week.

He took five for 60 in the second innings as Derbyshire beat Glamorgan to record their first championship win for two years.

Following last week's rain it is hard to believe the pitch will be dry enough to justify including two spinners on a ground where no play was possible in last season's four-day match.

A waterlogged outfield resulted in the match against Northamptonshire, starting on July 4, being abandoned on the third day.

It evoked memories of Durham's visit in their inaugural first-class season in 1992, when saturated run-ups prevented any play for the first two days of a three-day match.

They went back in 1994 and amassed what remains their third highest total as new signings shone in the opening match of the season with Mark Saxelby making 181, Jon Longley 100 not out and John Morris 90 in a total of 625 for six declared against an attack featuring Devon Malcolm, Dominic Cork and Phil DeFreitas.

The pitch remained good enough for Mohammed Azharaddin to score a double century when Derbyshire followed on, but Durham still won by seven wickets.

Durham (from): P Collingwood (capt), C Steel, G Clark, M Richardson, J Burnham, R Pringle, P Coughlin, S Poynter, B McCarthy, C Rushworth, M Potts, U Arshad, G Harding.