T20 Blast bite-size preview: Durham Jets

Cricket365
May 14, 2014

County Championship Division One title holders and perennial underachievers in the North Division of last year's Twenty20 competition, Durham are eager to find the balance this time.

Brief Overview: County Championship Division One title holders and perennial underachievers in the North Division of last year's Twenty20 competition, Durham are eager to find the balance this time. They'll need to do so without former England fast bowler Steve Harmison, who has retired, and erstwhile South African batsman Dale Benkenstein, who has moved to Hampshire.

Venue: The Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street has brought some pretty hefty T20 totals recently, including England's 195 for five – on the back of opener Alex Hales' quickfire 94 – against Australia in August last year.

Batsman To Watch: Former England captain Paul Collingwood still has plenty to offer in the twilight of his career – as a strike-rate consistently above 120 will attest.

Bowler To Watch: While fast bowler Chris Rushworth topped the county's wicket-taking ranks in last year's contest, spinner Will Smith's role was arguably more important. The slow bowler maintained an economy rate of under six throughout.

Overseas Signings: Australian all-rounder John Hastings and former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara have been recruited for the season, in part, but the latter isn't likely to stick around for the T20 Blast – instead returning to international duty.

Know Your Mascot: Chester the Lion did the county proud during yesteryear's finals day, strutting his stuff with remarkable agility during a dance competition with other mascots.

Cricket365's Prediction: Sixth in North Division.