Batty in charge for Durham clash

A 14 man squad has been named for this evening’s floodlit YB40 game against the Durham Dynamos at the Kia Oval.

The game will be the first that Gareth Batty has skippered this season, and with the severity of Smith’s injury looking high, he will probably captain for the remainder of the campaign. Smith is going to be a massive loss, but we have to soldier on with Batty at the helm, and considering how he did last year, I don’t think we will do too badly.

Here is the squad in full:

Gareth Batty (C)

Steve Davies

Jason Roy

Vikram Solanki

Gary Wilson

Zander de Bruyn

Zafar Ansari

Rory Burns

Tom Jewell

Tom Curran

Jon Lewis

Jade Dernbach

Gary Keedy

Tim Linley

The batting does look alarmingly thin now that Smith has gone, and an injury or two would certainly give the management staff something to think about. But, the in-form Rory Burns has been drafted in as a replacement for Smith from the victory over Hampshire on Monday, and I’m sure that Rory will want to prove that he has got what it takes to play in this form of the game. I’m not sure if we can read too much into the order of the squad on the Official website, but it looks as if Burns would be down the order if selected.

I would have thought that the other 10 names would be the same as it was in Monday’s emphatic win, but one option instead of Burns could be the inclusion of either Tom Jewell or Tom Curran. It will probably be unlikely that Curran at 18 will be given a game, but Jewell will certainly be vying for a place. If it was down to me, I would play both Burns and Jewell, and drop de Bruyn, but we all know that isn’t going to happen.

There will be a new opening partner for Steve Davies, who will be looking to build on his wonderful unbeaten century against the Royals. I personally would open with Solanki and Davies, as they both know each other well from their Worcestershire days, and were one of the better opening partnerships in the country in this form of the game. Jason Roy could also be moved up to open, so at least we don’t have limitations in that position in the shorter forms of the game.

Durham have always been a strong side in this competition, and will once again be tonight. With the likes of Mustard, who scored a superb century against us last year, Stokes and Collingwood in the batting and the spin of Borthwick, they look a smart outfit. They have lost one and won one so far this year, but at least Onions is away with the England Lions this week.

The game is sure to be a tight game between two evenly matched sides, as we look for a second consecutive win.