THERE are three ex-Durham players in Australia’s Ashes squad, plus two who turned down temporary assignments at Chester-le-Street in favour of a short stint at Lord’s.

Alongside Mike Hussey, Simon Katich and Marcus North will be Stuart Clark and Phil Hughes, but not Shaun Tait. Durham approached Clark to join them for the last month of the 2004 season, when they had dabbled with bowlers such as Pallav Kumar, Tahir Mughal and Andy Blignaut. Clark preferred to go to Middlesex and Durham gambled on Tait, with disastrous consequences.

In two championship games his figures read 18-0-176-0, yet he went home and took a stack of wickets, earning selection for the 2005 Ashes.

Despite being older, Clark has since overtaken him and stands alongside Hussey in the late developer category, unlike Hughes. The 20-year-old opening batsman will be the centre of attention in the Ashes after scoring more than 500 runs in his month with Middlesex.

Durham spoke to him during the winter about occupying their overseas slot until Shivnarine Chanderpaul arrived. But he preferred the bright lights of London.

Hughes and Katich are likely to open, and with Ricky Ponting, Hussey and Michael Clarke to follow, it is difficult to see North getting into the team. Even to make the squad he has clearly improved as he was not a huge success with Durham in that ill-fated 2004 season.

Having returned for another season as Gateshead Fell’s professional, he was called up late to replace Herschelle Gibbs, who was unable to take up his contract. North made a double hundred on a flat track at Cardiff and a meaningless century in a rain-ruined match at Derby, but finished with an average of only 31.4.

Rickshaw sidelined THE man known in Durham as the Rawalpindi Rickshaw has been shunted into the sidings yet again. Among the long list of ailments which have sidelined Shoaib Akhtar the latest has to be the most embarrassing, and it can surely only be with the intention of shaming him that the Pakistan Board have made it public.

They have reported that their medical people have discovered that Shoaib is suffering from genital viral warts, which has required treatment known as electrofulgration. They also stated that his condition needs further care and treatment for a minimum of ten days.

A re-assessment will be carried out in the first week of June, but he has been ruled out of the World Twenty20 Championship.

Killer with hair THE programme for the Yorkshire v Durham Friends Provident match featured an article about Andy Rowsell, who is Yorkshire’s head coach for emerging players. It seems a very fancy title for a county where they are supposed to call a spade a spade, especially as Andy once taught at Heckmondwike Grammar. Anyway there’s a picture of him with what is presumably a North of England Schools team from around 1990. The caption gives no details other than asking us to spot Anthony McGrath, Paul Collingwood and Phil Neville (the footballer). It makes no mention of Neil Killeen, perhaps because no-one recognised him with a full head of hair.

Evans above DURHAM swiftly sent Luke Evans back to second team action following his first appearance against county opposition at Headingley. In these days when they talk about three-dimensional cricketers it was clear that the 6ft 7in seam bowler might have to work on his batting. Durham have never had a No 11 in the class of ex-Yorkshire bowler Mark Robinson, unless it be Steve Lugsden, who averaged 4.09. But Evans could be a candidate. In four seasons in the second team he has a top score of five and at Headingley it seemed obvious that the first straight ball would get him out. It took Deon Kruis several goes before he bowled him for a duck.