Clark set to miss contest with Kent
TOP TALENT BURNHAM EXPECTED TO GET START INSTEAD
GRAHAM Clark has arguably been one of Durham’s success stories this season yet he found himself on the sidelines last week, and may do so again when the team face Kent.
Coach Jon Lewis said the decision to pick Jack Burnham over Clark “could have gone either way” which will not be much consolation to the Cumbrian.
But whereas Clark has the potential to be a Durham regular, Burnham has the makings of an England batsman, and the Riversiders were quick to pick him after his 93 not out at Chesterfield in July.
“The decision was a real marginal one. It could have gone either way,” said Lewis.
“It was tough on Graham but we probably stuck with Jack Burnham because of the Championship innings he played in our previous game against Derbyshire.
“It was tough on Gareth Harte too, who had scored heavily in the second team.”
Clark responded to Lewis’ challenge for players to have personal-best seasons with a maiden First-Class century against Glamorgan. He has also hit two half-centuries and his Championship average of 30 is his best in a season, but not by a huge margin. Not helped by injury, Burnham has not scored the big runs he ought to have in County Championship Division Two, and his Chesterfield knock was his biggest this year – but he is still averaging only half a run less than Clark. Clark has been given the chance to ink his name into Durham’s middle-order but the fact he was overlooked against Derbyshire tells its own story. “I think there are quite a few players this season able to say they’re moving in the right direction and Graham’s one of them but they maybe haven’t nailed down a position yet,” said Lewis. “It’s not that they haven’t done well, but they can’t quite say they’ve made the position their own. Cameron Steel’s probably come the closest to doing that.”
Clark is in the squad for the match against Kent but so is Burnham, and Durham may want to stick with the batting line-up responsible for a nine-wicket win over Derbyshire, even if the bowling will change.
The Riversiders are without the injured Paul Coughlin (side) and Matthew Potts (back), but do have a fit-again Mark Wood back in the side.
Usman Arshad and James Weighell will compete for the other seam-bowling slot.
September matches start half-anhour earlier at 10.30am.
Durham finish their Championship campaign against Sussex (home) and Worcestershire (away), facing the former on September 19.
Paul Collingwood will play for a World XI in the first Twenty20 internationals in Pakistan since the 2009 terror attacks, while Keaton Jennings and Michael Richardson are doing the Great North Run for charity.
Lewis added: “It’s a good thing they’re doing for a good cause and they’re both fit lads, so I don’t have any worries on that score.
“It’s pretty prestigious for Paul to be going to Pakistan. There aren’t too many England players available with matches on at that time.
“Paul’s still a fine player but he’s actually quite a decent ambassador for what will be more than just three cricket matches.”
DURHAM (from): Jennings, Latham, Steel, Burnham, Clark, Collingwood (c), Richardson (wk), Pringle, Wood, Arshad, Weighell, Onions, Rushworth