DURHAM are hoping Martin Love can contribute heavily to the runs they will need in the last five games of the season if they are to gain promotion.

The Queenslander returns for only his third championship appearance of the season against Glamorgan at Cardiff today at the expense of Gordon Muchall.

A combination of his Australian Test commitments and a broken finger has restricted Love to four innings, in which he has totalled 123 runs.

That's a low return for someone who developed the habit of scoring double centuries last year - one for Durham at Lord's and two for Australian teams against the England tourists.

He has got out when well set in the three National League innings he has played since his return from scoring his maiden Test century against Bangladesh, but as a player more suited to the longer game he will have his sights on a big innings at Cardiff.

Victories in two of their last three games - against Yorkshire and Somerset - have lifted Durham to fifth place, only 7.25 points behind third-placed Gloucestershire with a game in hand.

Glamorgan are sixth, 4.75 points behind Durham and are also very much in the race for the third promotion spot, with Northants and Worcestershire looking comfortable at the top.

Durham's four victories from 11 games leaves them two short of their record of six championship wins in a season in 1999, which earned them a place in the inaugural division one.

But given the fierce competition two more wins might not be enough this time, and they will be particularly keen to beat Glamorgan as it is only the fourth time this season they have had two overseas players available.

Shoaib Akhtar is fit after missing Sunday's National League game at Lord's with a thigh injury and will want to keep Durham moving in the right direction before he disappears back to Pakistan for two weeks.

He will miss only the championship game at home to Hampshire starting next Wednesday and three matches in the National League, which is now low in Durham's priorities.

Durham have added Nicky Phillips to their squad as they have arrived at Sophia Gardens at this time of year in the past to find the pitch very dry and dusty.

It was four years ago at Cardiff that Phillips took his career-best six for 97, with match figures of 12 for 268. But unfortunately he was out-bowled by Robert Croft and Durham lost.

If Durham play both Phillips and Graeme Bridge it will be the first time they have appeared in the same championship side since the match at Northampton in mid-season last year.

That was when Northants started the habit of scrubbing the ends of the pitch to suit their spinners and as Durham still have to visit them next month it may be as well to have the spinners in the habit of working in tandem.

Durham (from): J J B Lewis (capt), M A Gough, M L Love, G J Pratt, N Peng, V J Wells, P Mustard, G D Bridge, Shoaib Akhtar, N Killeen, A M Davies, N C Phillips.

l Paul Collingwood will, as revealed in last Friday's Northern Echo SPORT, make his comeback in the three-day Second XI Championship match against Warwickshire starting at Seaton Carew today.