Durham are handed t20 tie they wanted
9:31am Friday 2nd August 2013 in Sport
By Tim Wellock
INTERNATIONAL VENUE: England’s James Anderson bowls to Shane Watson as Test match cricket returns to the venue, during day one of the third Ashes Test match at Old Trafford yesterday. It will be the North-East’s turn to host the Ashes when the fourth
DURHAM were handed the tie they craved in the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals when they were drawn away to Northamptonshire next Tuesday evening.
The hosts will be without their leading run scorer in the competition, Richard Levi, after he received a call-up for South Africa A.
Durham will move straight on to Northampton after finishing their LV County Championship match against Middlesex at Lord’s, which starts today and is scheduled to end on Monday.
After squeezing through as one of the two best thirdplaced teams in the three groups, Durham were certain to have an away tie. But Hampshire, Surrey and Nottinghamshire would surely have provided tougher opposition and Durham will now fancy their chances of reaching finals day at Edgbaston on August 17.
Levi, who had a top score of 110 not out as Northants surprisingly topped their group, is required for a one-day triangular event with the A teams from Australia and India in Pretoria.
The Steelbacks’ second highest t20 scorer has been ex- Durham player Kyle Coetzer with 275 runs at an average of 30.55, closely followed by former Australia T20 captain Cameron White.
White had a hugely successful season with Somerset in 2006 and went on to play in four Tests in 2008, but now seems to be regarded as a oneday specialist.
He scored 71 in 48 balls in the win away to Glamorgan which clinched top spot for Northants, although they then lost their unbeaten home record in the final group game against Worcestershire.
The fact that they lost that game by 37 runs will boost Durham’s confidence, although the Steelbacks did rest the two bowlers who have taken most of the wickets, Pakistani Muhammad Azharullah and David Willey.
South African all-rounder Andrew Hall, who has just turned 38, has recently returned from injury and is also likely to feature against Durham.
When the two sides were in the same group two years ago, Durham won by nine wickets at Northampton. They restricted the hosts to 124 for nine then knocked off the runs in 16.1 overs with Phil Mustard unbeaten on 61.
The return fixture was the last group game, in which Northants had no interest.
They sent a weakened side and were all out for 47, Paul Collingwood recording Durham’s best t20 figures of five for six.
Collingwood will have to decide whether to return for the quarter-final after missing all but the first two group games with his thumb injury.
He will return to action at Lord’s today as Durham embark on the final seven matches of what promises to be an exciting climax to the championship programme.
Third in the table, they have a game in hand and are 4.5 points ahead of Middlesex, who got back into the title race by beating second-placed Sussex by ten wickets at Hove in their last match.
The battle between Graham Onions and Steven Finn, both left out of the squad for the third Test, will be a focal point.
Durham had the better of the contest when the sides met at the Emirates ICG in May, but a day’s rain cost them a likely win.
Collingwood set Middlesex a target of 304 in 51 overs and they finished on 165 for six after Chris Rogers made 54 and Joe Denly 73 not out.
Rogers is now with the Australia squad and has been replaced by countryman Adam Voges.
Middlesex are also likely to include England one-day international Eoin Morgan, while Durham have preferred young off-spinner Ryan Buckley to Gareth Breese.
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Article source: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/10588544.Durham_are_handed_t20_tie_they_wanted/