MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire v Durham, Metro Bank One-Day Cup
Lancashire v Durham
Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Group B
Wednesday August 20, 2025, 11am
Liverpool CC, Aigburth
Read the latest squad news ahead of our Metro Bank One-Day Cup clash against Durham Cricket in Liverpool.
Interim head-coach Steven Croft has named a 14-man squad for as Lancashire face Durham in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Aigburth.
There is one change to the squad from last week's away matches in Hove and Beckenham as seamer Tom Aspinwall has been made available for the fixture having not appeared for the Manchester Originals so far in this year's Hundred.
Aspinwall replaces Ollie Sutton, who is currently being managed for a shoulder issue after featuring against Sussex in Hove.
Seamer Jack Blatherwick has been absent from the side following a knock picked up ahead of the start of the competition and is working alongside medical staff on his recovery.
Lancashire squad to face Durham:
Marcus Harris*, Tom Aspinwall, Tom Bailey, George Balderson, Charlie Barnard, George Bell, Josh Bohannon, Kesh Fonseka, Luke Hands, Michael Jones, Joe Moores, Arav Shetty, Harry Singh, Will Williams
Lancashire head into Wednesday's clash with Durham following a tough away block of their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign.
They are not yet mathematically out of contention for a top-three finish, sat on six points and as many again behind third place, which is currently held by Sussex Sharks.
Durham are also in the same boat, albeit two points better off. They have won two from five to Lancashire’s one from the same number of games.
The frustrating thing about the last three defeats is that Lancashire were in every one of them, especially the last two away at Sussex on Friday and then Kent on Sunday.
They were beaten by one wicket at Hove defending a 339-target and then lost by only 22 chasing 316 at Beckenham.
Opposition
Durham started their campaign brightly, winning two of their first three games. But they suffered hugely damaging back-to-back home defeats to Middlesex and then Northamptonshire last Wednesday and Friday.
In the former, they failed to defend a 388-target. In chasing it down, Middlesex achieved a record chases in all List A matches ever chased in England.
They were then beaten by 150 runs at the hands of Northamptonshire, bowled out for 171 in pursuit of 322.
“We’ve had two awful days at the office,” said their Australian coach Ryan Campbell. “Not acceptable for what we pride ourselves on.”
Captained by opening batter Alex Lees, they will have South Africa seamer Codi Yusuf available for this one. His international colleague, the prolific top-order batter David Bedingham, will not play in this fixture however.
He wasn’t due to play in this competition but did so last week at the request of the county. But he’s not available for the trip to the North West.
Durham were finalists in 2021 and, like Lancashire, have qualified for next month’s Vitality Blast quarter-finals and will have a home tie. They host Hampshire in that.
They are also currently second from bottom in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship and face a fight against relegation during the final three rounds of the summer.
In this competition, all-rounder Will Rhodes has been their outstanding performer with 312 runs and 11 wickets. He’s both their leading run-scorer and wicket-taker.
Opposition player to watch
It’s a relatively straightforward choice given his form with bat and ball.
Experienced all-rounder Will Rhodes has been superb both in the top order and with his skilful seamers in this competition.
He bats left-handed and bowls right-arm. He has scored one hundred and two fifties and has struck with the ball in four out of the five games, including taking a five-for.
Rhodes, 30-years-old, is a former County Championship title winner with both home county Yorkshire and then Warwickshire, the latter who he captained.
He’s in his first season at the Banks Homes Riverside having moved from Edgbaston over the winter.
He scored 100 off 120 balls in a defeat to Somerset towards the start of the campaign. In their opening day win over Sussex at Gosforth, he hit 96 and took a List A career best 5-30.
Previous meeting
Durham won a high-scoring clash with Lancashire at Sedbergh School late last July, by 57 runs on the back of their 344-4 total.
The opening day of the competition saw Josh Bohannon score a brilliant career best 147 off 119 balls as the Red Rose responded with 287 all out, an innings which saw them lose wickets too regularly.
A key period came when they slipped from health at 91-1 in the 16th over to 198-6 in the 34th.
The seam and spin of Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann respectively claimed three wickets apiece for a visiting side including Scotland international batter Michael Jones.
He had agreed his winter move to Emirates Old Trafford by then and, tomorrow, will line up for Lancashire against Durham.
Captain and opener Alex Lees set Durham off on the right foot with 111 off 126 balls before de Leede (72 off 63 balls), Ackermann (59 off 33) and Jones (41 not out off 21) all powerfully boosted the North East county’s total to near 350.
No Lancashire bowler struck more than once, and left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard - on first-team debut - encouraged with 0-48 from eight overs. George Balderson’s seam accounted for the pick of the figures, 1-57 from 10.
Both sides would go on to miss out on knockout qualification.
What they said
Josh Bohannon was clearly frustrated at missing out on the victory last time out, against Kent at Beckenham on Sunday, with his excellent 133 off 110 balls just not enough to get the Red Rose over the line chasing a 316-target.
Lancashire lost by 22 runs, and he said: "To get that close, it always hurts a little bit more.”
But the county’s vice captain could see the positives amidst the frustration and looked at the bigger picture as Lancashire build for the future.
“We’ve said all the time during the comp, we have got young players,” he said.
“Two 16-year-olds played (Luke Hands and Joe Moores) and held up their own games well.
“Mooresy in the field was excellent, setting the standard, and Luke with his bowling. And the confidence they had coming into bat as well.
“It didn’t come off in terms of scores with the bat, but they’re immensely talented.
“You mix that in with the likes of Arav (Shetty), the talent in that group is not in question at all.
“They’re quick learners, and they’ll benefit massively from this.”
How’s Stat!
Josh Bohannon is in line to make his 50th career List A tomorrow.
The Boltonian batter has scored three hundreds and six fifties in his previous 49 games, all of which have come in a Lancashire shirt since debuting in 2018.
This was the format in which the 28-year-old actually made his first-team debut for the county.
In all, he has 1,303 runs at 33.41 to his name.