DURHAM have included summer signings Colin Ackermann and Callum Parkinson in the squad for their opening game of the new county season against Hampshire.
Weather permitting, Durham will start the new Vitality County Championship Division One season at Seat Unique Riverside tomorrow morning, having been promoted after they won the Division Two title last summer.
Since lifting the Second Division crown at Chester-le-Street, head coach Ryan Campbell has overseen a period of summer rebuilding ahead of Durham’s return to the top tier of the four-day game after a seven-year absence.
Opening batsman Ackermann and spinner Parkinson both moved to the North-East from Leicestershire, and having made their first-class Durham debuts in the recent pre-season trip to Zimbabwe, the pair have been both named in a 13-man squad for the Championship opener.
Scott Borthwick continues as skipper, with Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse also expected to start against Hampshire, but while overseas signing Scott Boland has arrived in England and met his new team-mates, the Australian Test seamer has not been considered for the Hampshire game.
Instead, he will spend the next few days training at Seat Unique Riverside in the hope of being involved in Durham’s second game of the season at Worcestershire, which starts in a fortnight’s time.
Similarly, while England Test skipper Ben Stokes has expressed a desire to play county matches for Durham prior to the start of the Test schedule later this summer, he will not be involved over the course of the next four days.
“We are all really excited,” said Campbell. “It is always a special time and after our performances last year, I think there is an expectation on us again this year to go out and back up how we did in 2024. The team is in a good place, and we can’t wait to step out and perform this weekend, whenever that may be.
“We are not here just to compete in Division One, we are here to win in it, and I believe we have a squad which can take us there, we want to win the whole thing. With the additions of Scott Boland, Colin Ackermann and Callum Parkinson, it really strengthens our squad. We want to compete with the best, and that is what excites everyone at the club.
“I understand we will have some bumps along the way, but we will continue with that attacking cricket and it’s once again going to be a fun ride.”
The weather could be Durham’s biggest enemy over the next few days, with the opening day of the season expected to be a showery one.
That could cause problems given the amount of rain that has fallen in the last week or so, with the outfield already extremely wet.
“You just need to look around the fields and see how much water we have had in the region over the last few months,” said Campbell. “Unfortunately, Chester-le-Street has had a fair bit of rain, so it is pretty wet out there.”
Assuming the action gets under way at some stage, Durham will be taking on a Hampshire side that finished last season’s Division One campaign in third position. Ali Orr has joined from Sussex, but Hampshire continue to look heavily reliant on their three-pronged bowling attack of Keith Barker, Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott.
“Hampshire are a very strong side,” said Campbell. “They have a proven seam bowling attack, which has performed very well for a number of years. They will 100 per cent test our batters, and I think it is the perfect way to start our season off.”
Durham squad: Colin Ackerman, David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick (capt), Brydon Carse, Graham Clark, Paul Coughlin, Bas de Leede, Michael Jones, Alex Lees, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Ollie Robinson.
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