DURHAM'S opposition to two overseas players per county continues to look fully justified as they flounder at the foot of the Frizzell County Championship's second division.

They are expecting Shoaib Akhtar and Herschelle Gibbs to arrive at the end of this week, but are uncertain when they will be fit to play.

Coach Martyn Moxon admitted after Saturday's capitulation against Nottinghamshire, when Durham were all out for 93, that the temporary signing of Reon King had not worked. And Marcus North has so far made 60 runs in four championship innings.

Durham began the season by losing to a Hampshire side which included Shane Warne and the brightest of Aussie youngsters, Michael Clarke. Yet to find a Hampshire-born player who has played for the county and gone on to play for England you would have to go back to Alex Hill in the 1890s.

"We planned our staff around having two top-quality overseas players until August," said Moxon.

"But now everything is up in the air because they've missed the start of the season and Gibbs is leaving on July 14. We still don't know when Shoaib will be leaving.

"Everything has been meticulously planned according to what we can spend, but with so much international cricket to get two quality players for any length of time is very difficult.

"Having Reon King has not worked out.

"But that can happen. Whoever played might have had the same problems and we went into it with the best of intentions.

"Mark Davies and Neil Killeen are ideally change bowlers, and without Shoaib we wanted an experienced opening bowler. Expecting Liam Plunkett and Graham Onions to open the bowling would have been a big ask."

Durham are hoping Shoaib will be fit for next Sunday's totesport League match at Derby, while the C & G Trophy match at home to Sussex on Wednesday week looks the earliest possible start for Gibbs, who suffered a hamstring injury ten days ago.

Gateshead Fell have agreed that North can play for Durham whenever Gibbs is not available.

Durham have the additional problem of having to be patient in their attempts to rehabilitate Gavin Hamilton, who has scored 32 runs in four championship innings and taken one wicket.

"Gavin felt there was a step forward after he struggled on Friday morning," said Moxon. "Last year that would have been it, but he managed to get himself back together over lunch and went out and bowled OK. That was an encouraging sign.

"He had a season of second team cricket last year and needs to play in the first team.

"But we are not considering him for one-day cricket at the moment - we want him to be 100 per cent happy with his four-day bowling first."

Durham lost their remaining seven wickets in 90 minutes on Saturday to lose by an innings and 80 runs on the flat Riverside pitch.

Charlie Shreck, the 6ft 7in Cornishman, took a career-best six for 46, with Nicky Peng and Gordon Muchall falling in identical fashion, pushing too firmly at away swingers to edge at comfortable height to the slips.

Hamilton played across the line and was lbw to Greg Smith, who also had Andrew Pratt well caught by wicketkeeper David Alleyne as Durham slumped to 55 for seven inside the day's first ten overs.

Graeme Bridge and Liam Plunkett put on 29 before Shreck removed them both with the help of more poor strokes.

Bridge was lbw aiming towards mid-wicket and Plunkett wafted airily at a short ball and edged to Jason Gallian at first slip. Mark Ealham wrapped up the innings when King was caught behind.

Moxon said: "It's very disappointing to be dismissed for 93 on a pitch like that. The batsmen made the sort of basic mistakes we talk about and work on all the time.

"A few players are not in form and our pre-season has been difficult because we have not had as much outdoor practice as we would have liked.

"But we should do better than that."

Like Martin Saggers, the former Durham bowler now doing so well for Kent, 26-year-old Shreck is the sort of late-comer to county cricket who could disappear given the current obsession with overseas players.

Durham are hoping for a return to one overseas man per county next season, but the ECB are currently split on the subject and Moxon said: "I don't know how it will be resolved."

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