Durham vs Worcestershire, County Championship Divison Two, Today Match Prediction 13 April 2023

dur vs wor Match Prediction & Analysis

English county cricket is up and running when T20 fever is going on the IPL action elsewhere. Every county team is doing their best to prove themselves against each other and the players are honing and showcasing their skills to the wider audience in the first-class arena. Durham lost their opening match against Sussex by a close margin after getting a slender lead in their first innings. Worcestershire won their match comfortably by 8 wickets with a dominating performance and will look to continue their momentum and form in this match too with a victory.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Durham Preview

Durham made 376 runs in their first innings in the last game with their openers Alex Lees (79 runs) and Michael Jones (87 runs) leading the team with their 142-run opening partnership. Their middle order players got starts but failed to put a big score in the first innings. They were bundled out for just 189 runs with Ollie Robinson making a fighting 58 runs.

Their bowling unit gave 335/10 & 232/8 in the last game. Pace duo of Mathew Potts (2/50) & Ben Raine (3/72) kept taking wickets regularly in the first innings at the top. Duo of Mathew Kuhnemann (2/77 & 4/70) and Brydon Carse (3/80) lead their team in their 231-run target defence in the second innings,

Key Players: Matt Potts, Alex Lees, Brydon Carse

Durham Predicted Playing XI:

Alex Lees (c), Michael Jones, Ben McKinney, David Bedingham, Oliver Robinson (wk), Graham Clark, Jonathan Bushnell, Ben Raine, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Matthew Kuhnemann

Worcestershire Preview

Worcestershire posted a good total of 473 runs in the first innings in the last game. Jack Haynes (62 runs) and Brett D Oliveria (89 runs) made fifties and their lead their team`s reply. Mathew Waite`s century from the lower order was the gamechanger as he took his team to a lead of 152 runs. Jake Libby’s 104 runs and Azhar Ali made the 193-run chase a stroll in the park last night.

Their bowlers restricted the opposition to 321/10 & 343/10 in the last game to help them win the match. Their pace quartet of Joe Leach (2/77 & 3/86), Josh Tongue (1/114 & 3/98), Matt Waite (4/50 & 1/57), and Ben Gibson (2/58 & 1/56) claimed 17 wickets between them in the match. Skipper Brett D Oliveria took 2 wickets in the second innings to contribute in the spin department.

Key players: Brett D Oliveria, Mathew Waite, Jake Libby

Worcestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Ed Pollock, Jake Libby, Azhar Ali, Jack Haynes, Adam Hose, Brett DOliveira (c), Gareth Roderick (wk), Matthew Waite, Joe Leach, Josh Tongue, Ben Gibbon

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Chester-le-street will have a placid surface with good bounce and carry in the match. Batters might enjoy playing here as the ball comes onto the bat nicely. The first 2 days is expected to dark and cloudy with intermittent showers in the match.

Venue Details

Chester-le-street is home ground for Durham, and they won 2, lost 1, and draw 4 matches they played here last season. We expect some time lost in this match owing to weather interruptions.

Toss: To Bowl

Both captains will look to bowl first if they win the toss as the overcast and cloudy weather with ball expected aid the bowlers with swing and seam movement.