WILL Smith and his predecessor as Durham captain, Dale Benkenstein, were not going to look a gift horse in the mouth today.

Coming together after Durham had slipped from 44 without loss to 63 for three, they knew they had to cash in on Nottinghamshire’s surprising generosity in putting them in.

On a Trent Bridge ground which gave them full value for their shots, as opposed to the lush outfield at Headingley, they took the score to 174 for three at tea, with Benkenstein on 64 and Smith on 47.

Durham would have been happy to bat first, given that they hope either Steve Harmison or Graham Onions will be available to join them tomorrow. Just in case both are left out of the side for the second Test at Lord’s, Callum Thorp and Mitch Claydon have been nominated to step down.

After missing the Yorkshire match because of a family illness, this was a welcome return to form for Smith, who had totalled 29 runs in his last five championship innings.

There will be no question of him standing down when Shivnarine Chanderpaul arrives in three weeks, but the two men under pressure did not enhance their chances of surviving in the side.

Mark Stoneman and Gordon Muchall again failed to build on decent starts, and although the ball swung, there seemed little reason initially for Nottinghamshire to have chosen to field.

Michael Di Venuto was first to go, lbw to Ryan Sidebottom for 22, which ought to have been the signal for Stoneman to dig in. But after looking in no trouble and playing several lovely shots he drove a return catch to Andre Adams for 24.

Muchall opened up with a glorious cover drive for four and moved easily to ten before shaping for a forcing back-foot shot off Adams and getting an inside edge to wicketkeeper Chris Read. Since his century at Hove, Muchall has totalled 142 runs in nine innings.

There was a brief stoppage in the both the morning and afternoon for the lightest of showers, but no overs were lost from the day’s allocation.