D’ARCY SHORT has vowed to bring his swashbuckling style of batting to the Emirates Riverside when Durham begin their Vitality Blast campaign.

They take on Northamptonshire Steelbacks this evening, and England’s World Cup winners Ben Stokes and Mark Wood will be presented to the crowd before the contest along with the World Cup trophy won in thrilling style on Sunday.

Durham hope to record a victory as entertaining as England's, and they have been able to use their connections to Western Australia through director of cricket Marcus North to lure 28-year-old Short to the North-East for the T20 competition.

The Riverside has not been a haven for batsmen in recent seasons. In 2018, the highest score posted at the ground was Durham’s 170 in their win over the Steelbacks. However, Short has promised to help change that perception as he prepares to make his bow at Chester-le-Street.

“Hopefully I will be able to change the reputation of the ground, starting on Friday. I’ll try to make it known as a ground that’s known for big hitting,” he said.

“It’s probably the same size as the grounds back home anyway. It’s nothing that I’m not used to so hopefully I’ll be able to hit the ground running.”

Short arrives at Durham with an excellent reputation in the T20 format, having been named player of the year and top scorer in the Big Bash for the past two seasons.

Despite the prospect of being faced with unfamiliar conditions, the Australian is confident that he will have no problems adjusting to the English game during his tenure with the club.

“I’d like to hope I can reproduce my form from the Big Bash,” he said.

“It’s going to come down to know what I’m doing and backing myself while I’m out there to be positive. Hopefully it will pay off and I’ll be able to put runs on the board.”

Durham performed well in the Vitality Blast last season using the talent of Imran Tahir with the white ball to great effect.

Tahir’s premature departure from the squad for the knockout stage played a role in the team’s failure to advance beyond quarter-finals, suffering a defeat to the Sussex Sharks on home soil.

Short has revealed that he has had no issues settling into the team since arriving in England last week, and is optimistic that he can play a significant role along with his new team-mates to drive Durham back towards Finals Day this term.

“I’ve travelled a lit bit when it comes to playing cricket so I’m used to moving around, meeting new people all the time and settling in so it’s not a new experience,” Short said.

“It has been a relatively easy transition into the dressing room and we’re looking forward to starting the competition. I know the team reached the quarter-finals last season, but we want to go one better than last year and reach Finals Day.”