Thomson set for first start against Notts
ALEX Thomson is set for his Durham debut against Nottinghamshire today after joining the Riversiders on loan from Warwickshire.
The all-rounder is part of the 13-man squad named by High Performance Coach James Franklin for the opening LV= Insurance County Championship match of the season at Trent Bridge.
The team will be led by Scott Borthwick for the first time since the 30-year-old Wearsider was appointed as the club’s new firstclass captain.
Borthwick and the rest of the squad left Emirates Riverside yesterday for a final training session at Trent Bridge before the first-class season begins at 11.00 today.
Former Kent batsman Sean Dickson misses out as he is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a side strain.
Durham are hopeful he will return to second-team action at Essex next week.
Opening batsman Will Young is currently in a period of quarantine having arrived in the UK from New Zealand’s IT20 series against Bangladesh and is unavailable for the match.
Stuart Poyner will take over wicketkeeping duties with former captain Ned Eckersley includued solely as a batsman.
All-rounder Paul Coughlin also returns to a ground where he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons before rejoining Durham last year.
Durham will need to beware of Nottinghamshire batsman Joe Clarke, the classy middle-order strokemaker making 133 against the Riversiders at Trent Bridge last time out.
South African Dane Paterson and former England opener Hasseb Hamed are also included in the Nottiinghamshire squad. DURHAM SQUAD: Chris Rushworth, Brydon Carse, David Bedingham, Stuart Poynter, Alex Lees, Ned Eckersley, Scott Borthwick, Ben Raine, Jack Burnham, Alex Thomson, Paul Coughlin, Mike Jones, Matt Salisbury.
Last year’s encounter at Trent Bridge ended in a draw as the Bob Willis Trophy campaign came to a conclusion for both sides.