Derbyshire Falcons have named a 14-man squad for the opening Royal London One-Day Cup match versus Durham on Thursday 27 April at Emirates Riverside; 11am start.
Gary Wilson, Daryn Smit, Jeevan Mendis and Luis Reece could all make their List A debuts for the Derbyshire after being named in the squad to travel to Chester-le-Street.
Fast bowler Hardus Viljoen, however, remains unavailable through injury. He is continuing his rehabilitation following a recurrence of a previous injury and is working his way back to full match fitness.
The side to bat first has gone on to claim victory in five of the last six encounters between these counties.
1. Billy Godleman
10. Luis Reece
26. Ben Slater
57. Shiv Thakor
77. Wayne Madsen
11. Daryn Smit
88. Jeevan Mendis
9. Gary Wilson
18. Alex Hughes
8. Tom Milnes
24. Rob Hemmings
28. Tony Palladino
44. Will Davis
36. Ben Cotton
Durham finished fifth in the Royal London One-Day Cup north group in 2016, narrowly missing out on a quarter-final place in the final round of fixtures.
Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick, both now with Surrey, were the leading run-scorers with 485 runs between them in the competition last season. All-rounder Ryan Pringle also hit over 200 runs at an average of 30.
England batsman Keaton Jennings will captain the side and open the batting, providing international experience to the batting lineup, which also includes Paul Collingwood.
Chris Rushworth was the leading wicket-taker for Durham in the 2016 competition with 12. He is likely to lead the bowling attack after Mark Wood, recently selected in England’s ICC Champions Trophy squad, misses out with a groin injury.
Captain Billy Godleman says the Derbyshire squad is focused and prepared ahead of the Royal London One-Day Cup opener.
Godleman said: “We are really excited for the Royal London One-Day Cup and we now go into a block of all white ball cricket so we know exactly what we have to do and how we have to go about it. It has enabled us to prepare and plan for the format we’re involved in.
“Our focus is making sure we prepare as best as we can and make sure our plans are very clear and that we go out there and execute them to the best of our ability.”
Commenting on opponents, Durham, Godleman said: “Durham are a very experienced outfit in all formats, but particularly in limited overs cricket.
“They play on a big outfield and particularly with the competition set in April and May this year it is the teams which adapt quickest to the conditions which will do well.”
Supporters can save 20% by purchasing their Royal London One-Day Cup matchday tickets in advance of the day of the game. Buy online, over the phone by calling 01332 388 101 or in person at The 3aaa County Ground.
Northants Steelbacks – Sunday 30 April – BUY
Notts Outlaws – Tuesday 2 May – BUY
Warwickshire – Wednesday 10 May – BUY
Worcestershire – Tuesday 16 May – BUY
