MIRACLES happen when Shoaib Akhtar plays for Durham, and when he reduced Derbyshire to 19 for six yesterday one of the lowest totals in the history of one-day cricket was on the cards.

The last-wicket stand finally doubled the visitors' score to 82 and Durham eased to a seven-wicket victory, their third out of three with Shoaib in the team this season.

First came the record run chase at Taunton then the record one-day league total of 319 for three at Worcester. This time Derbyshire beat their own mark of 87 - made at Darlington in 2000 - for the lowest total against Durham in the competition.

Although Shoaib took four of the first six wickets, it was Neil Killeen who deserved an individual record and Mark Davies who actually achieved it.

Killeen held the most economical bowling for Durham in the one-day league with 9-2-12-4 at Leicester in 2002 and yesterday he opened up with a superb spell of 7-6-2-1 and finished with 8.3-7-5-2. But it won't count as the record because by taking the final wicket with three balls of the innings left he did not complete his allocation, while Davies finished with 9-2-10-0.

Derbyshire left-hander Steve Stubbings, who opened the innings and was run out for five in the 16th over, was in no doubt that Killeen was the pick of the bowlers.

"He lands it on a dime every ball and nips some in and some away," said Stubbings. He added that the pitch was exhibiting "tennis ball bounce."

"You just can't time the ball unless it's a full half volley and they're not bowling any of those," he said.

As usually happens when the pitch is at the top of the square, nearest the pavilion, it was totally unsuitable for one-day cricket.

While the fans applauded Shoaib warmly after taking two wickets in his second over, the bumper Bank Holiday crowd would surely rather have seen a high-scoring game.

Derbyshire were 19 for six in the 20th over and 41 for nine in the 31st when West Indian Darren Powell joined his skipper Luke Sutton.

Powell just cleared long-on in chipping his Jamaica captain Gareth Breese for six, otherwise there were only two boundaries in the innings.

Sutton off-drove Paul Collingwood for four in the 19th over and edged Breese for the other on his way to 43 off 110 balls before he was last out, skying an attempted leg-side hit to short third man, where Collingwood took an excellent running catch.

It capped a brilliant display in the field by Durham, with Gordon Muchall prominent with two run-outs and a good catch running in from third man when Graeme Welch top-edged a cut at Shoiab.

After Derbyshire chose to bat everything went right for Durham from the sixth ball, when Andrew Gait played back to Killeen and got an inside edge into his stumps.

While not at full pace, Shoaib was bowling very straight and struck twice in two balls in the fourth over. Chris Bassano pushed forward and edged to Andrew Pratt, who took the next ball - a short one - down the leg side after it had brushed part of Hassan Adnan's anatomy. He indicated it had hit his body, but he was given out.

It became four for four in the eighth over when James Bryant made a dreadful job of trying to hit Shoaib over mid-wicket and gave Nicky Peng an easy catch.

Sutton joined Stubbings, who was put under extra pressure by Jon Lewis, who moved in to silly mid-off with Andrew Pratt standing up to Killeen.

Stubbings responded by advancing to drive and hit Lewis in the back as the Durham captain took evasive action.

Increasing desperation saw Stubbings risk a single to mid-on, where Muchall hit the stumps to run him out, then Shoaib returned and was gifted Welch's wicket.

Ant Botha helped Sutton in the first stand of any substance, but after they had put on 20 in nine overs Sutton called for a single to mid-on and his partner failed to make it.

Mo Sheikh, on trial from Warwickshire, lasted only three balls before he pushed forward and had his off stump rattled by Collingwood.

Kevin Dean recorded the fifth duck when he tried to paddle Breese round the corner and lobbed a catch to Gary Pratt.

But Powell, who has played in four Tests, looked quite comfortable on his one-day debut after joining injury-hit Derbyshire last week as a temporary overseas man.

He has been playing club cricket for Belper Meadows and came to the crease without a helmet. But to the crowd's amusement he quickly signalled for the protective gear when Shoaib returned for his final two overs.

Although he played largely orthodox strokes, Powell flat-batted a short ball from Shoaib over mid-off for three as Derbyshire passed their previous lowest one-day league total of 61 at Portsmouth in 1990.

Powell looked to have been run out by Gary Pratt in the final over, but Sutton was out next ball, leaving the Jamaican unbeaten on 18.

Extras were third top scorer on nine, with two wides by Shoaib and one each by Collingwood and Davies the only blemishes on Durham's performance.

Durham matched Derbyshire's boundary tally inside four overs. Peng drove Welch's first ball of the innings to the short cover boundary, which Marcus North cleared with an upper cut off Dean to get off the mark.

North added a cover drive in the same over, but then Peng pushed forward and edged Welch to Bassano at first slip.

Umpire Peter Hartley, the former Yorkshire seamer, turned down two big lbw appeals by Dean, while Welch continued to give nothing away.

But North and Lewis survived then began to prosper when Powell came on for the 15th over. Arms and legs pumping, his run-up proved more fearsome than his delivery as accuracy was more important than pace on this pitch.

Medium pacer Sheikh proved that as he troubled all the batsmen in taking one for nine in six overs.

North fell for 29 when he drove Sheikh to mid-off and the next two balls beat Collingwood, who was also beaten by Powell before pulling him for two fours.

He then tried to work Powell behind square on the off side, only to edge to wicketkeeper Sutton to make it 60 for three.

By taking 24 off Powell's four overs, Durham were able to ease home in 26.3 overs with Lewis unbeaten on 19.

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