Durham vs Northamptonshire, Royal London One-Day Cup, Today Match Prediction 17 Apr 2019

dur vs north Match Prediction & Analysis

Host Durham will be looking to get off to a good start when they take on Northamptonshire in the opening game of 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.

Last year, Durham finished bottom of the league table in the North Group of the competition. Newly-appointed captain Cameron Bancroft will be hoping that the side can start their campaign on a good note. The side will be looking to do well in their home fixture.

On the other hand, Northamptonshire will certainly aim for consistency with bat and ball in order to do well in this year’s competition. Alex Wakely and co. will need to produce their best game in order to overcome Durham in this contest.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Durham Preview

2014 Champions will be looking to field their strongest playing XI in order to get off to a decent start in this year’s competition. Skipper Cameron Bancroft will be focused that the side can do well this season.

In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of Michael Richardson, Will Smith and Cameron Bancroft to do the bulk of the scoring. Last year, Michael Richardson was the leading-run scorer for Durham with 392 runs in 8 innings at an average of 49.00. He will be looking to do well for the side in this year’s competition.

Besides Richardson, Smith also chipped in with decent scores for the side and scored 266 runs in 8 matches last year. The side will be hoping that Bancroft can deliver runs for the side in this year’s competition. He will need to lead from the front with the bat and produce consistent scores for the side in this year’s tournament.

Gareth Harte and Graham Clarke will need to deliver runs with the bat at the top of the innings. Last season, the opening pair suffered from inconsistency and collectively averaged 20.84 with the bat.

The side will certainly miss their key players like Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, who are unavailable due to their international commitments. All-rounder Ben Stokes is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

In the bowling department, the side will be relying on the likes of Chris Rushworth, Nathan Rimmington and Ryan Pringle to pick up wickets with the new-ball. Last season, pace bowler Nathan Rimmington claimed 9 wickets at an average of 32.77. It will be interesting to see whether Durham goes with experienced players or try fresh faces for this opening game of the tournament.

Durham Predicted Playing XI:

Cameron Bancroft (c), Alex Lees, Gareth Harte, Michael Richardson, Will Smith, Graham Clarke, Shane Poynter, RD Pringle, Chris Rushworth, Nathan Rimmington, Matt Salisbury

Northamptonshire Preview

2017 Champions will be keen to turn things around in this year’s competition. The side managed to win only two games in last year’s competition. Captain Alex Wakely will be focused that side can deliver a good show with bat and ball against Durham.

In the batting department, the side will be relying on the likes of Adam Rossington, Alex Wakely and Josh Cobbs to do the bulk of the scoring. Middle-order batsman Alex Wakely was the standout performer with the bat for Northamptonshire last season and scored 280 runs in 7 innings at an average of 40.00. 

Wicket-keeper batsman Adam Rossington proved to be consistent performer for the side in last year’s competition. He scored 271 runs in 7 matches at an average of 38.71. 

Josh Cobbs, Richard Levi and Ben Duckett are experienced players, who will need to deliver runs with the bat for Northamptonshire in this year’s competition. 

The team management will be concerned over the form of Duckett, who has gone through a lean run with the bat in recent times.The side will be hoping that he can find form with the bat for Durham this season.

Rory Kleinveldt is a powerful hitter of a cricket ball and will be keen to score runs for the side against Durham.

In the bowling department, the side will be relying on the likes of Ben Sanderson, Brett Hutton and Nathan Buck to make early inroads with the new-ball. Saif Zaib and Graeme White are prominent spin options for the side for this season.

Northamptonshire Predicted Playing XI:

Adam Rossington, Ben Duckett, Richard Levi, Alex Wakely (c), Josh Cobbs, Rory Kleinveldt, Luke Procter, Nathan Buck, Saif Zaib, Graeme White, Brett Hutton

Weather Conditions

The wicket will be excellent for batting for this game. The bowlers might assistance from the surface due to overcast conditions. The weather forecast for the game on Wednesday is going to be partly cloudy.

Venue

Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street will host all the home fixtures for Durham in this year’s Royal London One-day Cup. Durham have an excellent head-to-head against Northamptonshire in the competition.

Toss: To Bat

The side that wins the toss would be looking to bat first and put runs on the board. The quick bowlers will get assistance off the pitch. It is certainly going to be interesting contest between the two teams.