Vitality T20 Blast 2019: North Group, Durham vs Worcestershire: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details

The North Group game in the Vitality T20 Blast 2019 will be played between Durham and Worcestershire at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.

The match starts at 6:30 PM local time (11:00 PM IST) (5:30 PM GMT).

Preview

Worcestershire started in a handsome manner after winning four out of their first six matches, losing only a solitary match versus table-toppers Lancashire. Even as the team was going great guns, it has experienced a bit of slump of late. After losing to Leicestershire by 33 runs, Callum Ferguson and Co lost their previous encounter by 20 runs. Despite the losses, they are placed third in the points table.

Their next encounter is versus hosts Durham on August 15 and another defeat could see them sliding further down the table. Durham, on the other hand, are precariously placed in the middle of the table with nine points from as many games. The side also needs to take care of the Net Run Rate (NRR), which is at -0.248. Their journey has been a stop-start one and needs a bit more momentum.

Weather Report

The last game at the very venue got abandoned due to rain. And the weather forecast for the upcoming game isn’t something promising either. There are chances of rain with thunderstorms during the match. Cloud cover in the 60s will be there. The temperature will be around the 25 degrees Celsius mark with the humidity in the 90s. Dew will play its part as well.

Pitch Report

Three encounters have been played thus far at the Riverside Ground out of which two were won by the chasing teams. Durham won two out of those three games. The nature of the strip doesn’t change much with the progression of a contest. The hosts would wish to bat second, mostly owing to their batsmen’s good form. Also, with the chance of rain around, teams should chase.

Average first innings score: 143 (3 matches in T20 Blast 2019)

Record of chasing teams: Won- 2, Lost- 1

Injury or availability news (Team News)

(Will be added when there’s an update)

Probable Playing XI

Durham

D’Arcy Short, Scott Steel, Alex Lees, Peter Handscomb, Graham Clark, Jack Burnham, Stuart Poynter (C & WK), Liam Trevaskis, Matty Potts, Brydon Carse, Nathan Rimmington

Bench- Mitchell Claydon, Chris Rushworth, Ben Raine

Worcestershire

Riki Wessels, Martin Guptill, Callum Ferguson (C), Wayne Parnell, Ben Cox (WK), Ross Whiteley, Ed Barnard, Daryl Mitchell, Joe Leach, Dillon Pennington, Patrick Brown

Bench- Thomas Charles Fell, Joshua Dell

Top Picks:

D’Arcy Short has been absolutely incredible at the top of the order. The southpaw has 326 runs in eight matches at an incredible average of 46.57 and a strike-rate of 147.51. He also has nine wickets under his belt and the numbers show his utility in the Durham lineup.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – D’Arcy Short, Scott Steel, Peter Handscomb

Vice-captain – Martin Guptill, Wayne Parnell, Riki Wessells

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Ben Cox

Batsmen – Riki Wessells, Martin Guptill, Peter Handscomb, Scott Steel

All-Rounders – Wayne Parnell (VC), D’Arcy Short (C), Liam Trevaskis

Bowlers – Ed Barnard, Nathan Rimmington, Matty Potts

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Stuart Poynter

Batsmen – Ross Whiteley, Martin Guptill (VC), Peter Handscomb, Scott Steel (C)

All-Rounders – Daryl Mitchell, D’Arcy Short, Liam Trevaskis

Bowlers – Ed Barnard, Pat Brown, Nathan Rimmington

Expert Advice

The ground in Durham hasn’t seen high-scoring matches. Hence, making a batsman the Captain or Vice-captain can be a risky move. The two best captaincy options seem D’Arcy Short and Wayne Parnell.  

Probable Winners

The chasing team should come out trumps in the contest.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.