After a stunning final day victory over Gloucestershire on Monday, Northamptonshire make the trip up north to face league leaders Durham.
Northamptonshire chased down 191 inside 34 overs thanks to 92* from Calvin Harrison and 34 from Saif Zaib. The pair shared a stand of 101 from 72 balls to help Northamptonshire take an impressive 23 points from the match.
The win meant that Northamptonshire secured their 8th win in a row across all competitions, and with confidence high within the group, the fixture should be a fascinating one.
Durham sit first in the Division Two table with 126 points and Northamptonshire occupy second with 108 points. The hosts are the only unbeaten team in the division, having won four and drawn three for their opening seven games.
Last week, Durham convincingly beat Derbyshire by an innings and 22 runs, with Matt Potts taking eight wickets in the final innings.
England captain Ben Stokes has been named in the Durham squad and could feature at Chester-le-Street tomorrow.
Play will get underway at 11am with lunch at 1pm and tea scheduled for 3:40pm. There are 96 overs scheduled for each day. All four days of the fixture will be live streamed on Durham’s YouTube channel.
Squad news:
It’s a squad of 13 heading to Durham, with Ben Sanderson returning to the side after a well-deserved rest.
Lewis McManus is also in the squad, but the wicketkeeper will be assessed before the game to see if he is fit to play after dealing with a broken toe.
Raphy Weatherall drops out this week as his workload continues to be managed following back-to-back stress fractures. Louis Kimber remains sidelined with a hamstring injury but is nearing a return to competitive action.
Harry Conway is involved ahead of the final game of his spell with the Club.
Northamptonshire squad to face Durham:
Luke Procter (c), George Bartlett, Justin Broad, Harry Conway, Liam Guthrie, Calvin Harrison, Lewis McManus, Nathan McSweeney, James Sales, Ben Sanderson, George Scrimshaw, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Saif Zaib.
We spoke to Head Coach Darren Lehmann about the win against Gloucestershire, players being in a good place and the bowlers stepping up in the absence of Ben Sanderson last week.
Opponent Preview
Durham
Previewed by Graham Hardcastle, ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay
Captain: Alex Lees
Head coach: Ryan Campbell
2025 finish: 9th (in Division One, relegated)
2025 leading run-scorer: Emilio Gay (954)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ben Raine (44)
Key winter moves: Prolific South Africa batter David Bedingham has re-signed on an all-format overseas deal for the seventh straight season. Kasey Aldridge and Archie Bailey have arrived permanently from Somerset and Gloucestershire following 2025 loan spells while ex-Afghanistan U19 leg-spinner Shafiqullah Ghafari has signed as a local. Mitchell Killeen, Paul Coughlin and Bas de Leede have all departed.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: Promotion must be the priority following a last-minute relegation last September. Alongside Lancashire, they start the summer as one of the favourites in Division Two. A number of players, old and young, have a point to prove up at the Banks Homes Riverside, where coach Ryan Campbell will be urging positive, attacking cricket. Ironically, though, their lack of chutzpah with the bat during the final afternoon of 2025 at Headingley in September cost them their Division One status.
Aiming to catch the Test selectors’ eye: Opening batter Emilio Gay led the way for Durham last summer with nigh on 1,000 runs in Division One, including a best of 161, and then scored two half-centuries for the Lions in Australia before Christmas. A flying start to the season could do wonders for the 25-year-old left-hander’s hopes of a senior England debut.
Final thought: Durham fans will hope there’s no lingering disappointment following last year’s relegation, which hit them like a freight train on the season’s final day. Needing to bat out the last two sessions against Yorkshire at Headingley, they crumbled to 85 all out to fall through the trap door. They could also do with a more settled bowling unit after injuries and unavailability hurt them last year. The lack of support for Ben Raine’s 44 wickets was an issue.