Brathwaite; 3 Championship matches, 16 wickets

Ruel’s championship début with the first team, rather a success so far.

In the championship side this year through injury to our frontline seamers, Ruel has got to work.  He has recorded 5fers in both of the matches he has played in this season.

That is a good start, dare one hope that he will improve!?

Luke, Warms Up!

Our season hasn’t quite started but we have just finished a two day warm up match against Lancashire.

Having already got some overs in in the desert, we did quite well – getting 349 runs in 90 overs on the first day, Diva making 103*,  Stokes 70* and Benks 57* before retiring.  Anderson, Mahmood and Hogg were all in the Lanks seam attack [of whom only Mahmood took a wicket].   Keedy bowled 21 overs and took 1 for 74, but broke his collarbone while fielding.  We hope it mends soon.

Durham demolished Lanks in just 66 overs for 181.  Evans posted the best figures, 3 for 34 off of 10 overs, removing both openers,  Plunkett picked up 3 wickets and Thorpy 2.

The second XI have also recorded two one day victories against a Durham University Centre of Cricketing Excellence side.

Hooray for Thorpy!

Day 3 of the pink ball match and Durham’s ‘Mr Invisible’ Callum Thorp gets his highest first class run score of 79 not out*, and that with a triceps niggle too – what a hero!

*In that link there is also a short interview where he talks about the pink ball and the match.

When England Wrecks your Bowling Attack

And England manages to wreck it without even overbowling it!

Now it’s Plunkett; that’s an England squad bowling injury full house for Durham!

Following on from Mark Davies leaving the England squad with ankle problems and then having an operation on his ankle, and Graham Onions returning home from the squad with back injury; esteemed drinks boy Pudsy has now apparently joined the list.

BBC TMS feed – 0439 – Eng 490-9 (171 overs)
“ And a bit of breaking news on TMS – Liam Plunkett will return home a day early from this tour because of an injury that they want to treat immediately.”

Oh and even more joy – Bunny’s back injury is more serious than at fist thought, and Bob is not looking certain to be fit for the start of the season now either.

Do England treat their pace bowlers well?  What do they do with them?  They have not been flogging the overs out of the Durham ones in matches.    For the amount of time our bowlers have seen on the competitive field this winter this is not been a good return.   Plunkett has seen only one [non EPPs] tour match all winter!

England: keeping our Nigel [the physio] in business!