Durham assess player options

AFTER sweeping to the top of the County Championship Durham are trying to sort out the length of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s stay before deciding whether to sign a replacement.

The West Indies want their star batsman to attend a fourteam Twenty20 tournament in Toronto, also featuring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Canada, starting on August 14.

If he did go to Canada he would miss Durham’s home match against title rivals Nottinghamshire, starting on August 12, and there would be little point in him returning to Riverside.

He is committed to playing in the Champions Trophy, in which West Indies play the opening game against hosts Pakistan on September 11.

Chanderpaul would rather stay with Durham until he has to leave for Pakistan, but may have to comply with the West Indies’ wishes.

Coach Geoff Cook said: “If we win one or two of the next four games we will be in serious contention for the title and will need some strength at the end of the season.

“We wouldn’t sign another overseas player for one game, but if it’s for a lengthy period we will have to consider it.”

The easiest option might be to re-sign Neil McKenzie, whose century in the first Test underlined his class, even though he did not do particularly well for Durham.

With Steve Harmison seemingly well out of the England reckoning following the extraordinary decision to play Darren Pattinson at Headingley, the paceman is on course to challenge Ottis Gibson’s record of 80 championship wickets in a season for Durham.

Harmison was aware after Saturday’s win at Guildford that he has 40 at the halfway stage and said: “I might have had a couple more if I hadn’t got carried away on Friday evening.

“I’ve got nothing against Darren Pattinson, but he must have something special to leapfrog Matthew Hoggard and the rest.

“There will be a lot of bowlers wondering what he’s got that they haven’t.”

Cook added: “Steve was disappointed with his bowling in that last session on Friday. He was very frustrated by the England situation. But he played a key part in the end.

“Phil Mustard also had a good game. He kept well and batted very sensibly, and Will Smith played a fabulous innings.

He maintained the same tempo and didn’t get carried away.

“We have often said that is the sort of contribution we want from the less experienced players and it’s very gratifying.”

Durham swiftly shrugged off a frustrating morning to win by ten wickets and record their first championship win on Surrey soil.

The match looked to be heading for a draw at lunch, but depleted Surrey collapsed for the second time in the match, with Harmison taking the last three wickets in 13 balls.

He transformed his figures from one for 92 to four for 102 by yorking Jimmy Ormond and Murtaza Hussain then having Jade Dernbach caught by brother Ben at first slip.

Surrey subsided from 266 for four at lunch 323 all out, leaving Durham with 45 overs to score 134 and move one point ahead of Somerset at the top.

With Ormond, the pick of the hosts’ first innings bowlers, looking disillusioned, Michael Di Venuto and Mark Stoneman had 37 on the board after five overs.

From that point they simply played sensibly, with Stoneman completing his third half-century of the season off 82 balls and finishing on 60.

He had much more of the strike than Di Venuto, who needed one less ball for his 50 but reached it half an hour later.

With Surrey on 185 for three, five behind, the day began badly for Durham. Callum Thorp had suffered back spasms, so the Harmison brothers bowled for the first hour without success.

Left-hander Usman Afzaal’s huge talent was on full display, especially when he picked up a good length ball outside off stump from Steve Harmison and it landed just short of the rope at mid-wicket.

Afzaal oozed arrogance, but there has always been a big question mark over his temperament, which is why he’s on his third county.

And just when it seemed he would take the game away from Durham he gave it away.

Dale Benkenstein took out his third man and tempted Afzaal into attempting to cut Paul Wiseman, with the resulting edge producing a juggled catch by Mustard.

Afzaal had contributed 72 to a stand of 135 with Jon Batty, who was still there with Surrey leading by 76 runs at lunch. But after grafting his way to 50 the acting captain surrendered to the first ball after the interval.

He took a suicidal run to mid-on and was beaten by Steve Harmison’s direct hit. Then in the next over Chris Schofield was caught by Mustard off Liam Plunkett for a duck for the second time in the match.

Eight overs later – the third with the new ball – Plunkett swung one in to rearrange left-hander Matthew Spriegel’s stumps, and Harmison did the rest.

SCOREBOARD

Surrey v Durham At Guildford.

Overnight: Durham 410 (W R Smith 201 no, P Mustard 62; J Ormond 4-90).Surrey 220 (S A Newman 113; B W Harmison 4-27) and 185-3 (S A Newman 65).

Surrey Second Innings

J N Batty run out ..................................50

U Afzaal c Mustard b Wiseman ............73

M N Spriegel b Plunkett ......................18

C P Schofield c Mustard b Plunkett ........0

C J Jordan not out ................................15

J Ormond b S J Harmison ......................4

Hussain b S J Harmison ........................0

J W Dernbach c B W Harmison b S J armison ........................................10

Extras (b13 lb19 w1 nb10 pens 0) 43

Total (92 overs) ..........................323

Fall: 1-96 2-112 3-126 4-261 5-266 6-266 7- 294 8-305 9-313

Total Bonus Pts: Surrey 4 Durham 7

S J Harmison 27-5-102-4. Thorp 13-4-36-1.

Plunkett 18-4-73-2. Wiseman 21-6-44-2. B W Harmison 13-3-36-0.

Durham Second Innings

M D Stoneman not out ........................60

M J Di Venuto not out ..........................57

Extras (b7 lb5 w1 nb4 pens 0) ....17

Total 0 wkts (34.4 overs) ......................134

Did Not Bat: W R Smith, S Chanderpaul, D M Benkenstein, B W Harmison, P Mustard, P J Wiseman, L E Plunkett, C D Thorp, S J Harmison.

Bowling: Ormond 4-0-25-0. Dernbach 5-0- 32-0. Hussain 15-1-32-0. Jordan 6-1-21-0.

Schofield 4.4-2-12-0.

Durham (21pts) beat Surrey (4pts) by 10 wkts.