TWO blistering spells by Shoaib Akhtar yesterday bowled Durham to their most extraordinary win in first-class cricket.

The Rawalpindi Express accelerated out of the previous day's rickshaw mode with two electrifying bursts of four wickets in 15 balls.

His second, when shellshocked Somerset began the pursuit of 375 to win, saw them plunge to the shocking depths of five wickets down with only two runs on the board.

Neil Killeen's second wicket made it eight for six and they were finally all out for 56 to lose by 318 runs.

Shoaib had four for nine and Killeen, inspired by his partner, took a season's-best four for 30.

Durham's fourth championship win of the season even eclipsed their victory against Surrey, the 1999 champions, in the first game of the 2000 season, when the visitors were dismissed for 85.

Until yesterday that remained the lowest championship total against Durham, and Somerset even failed to reach the previous lowest first-class score of 67, made by Durham University in 2001.

There was some variable bounce in the Riverside pitch, but this could in no way be blamed for Somerset's demise.

They are clearly a team in freefall and had neither the ability nor the stomach to handle high-class fast bowling.

Durham coach Martyn Moxon said: "The key was getting an early wicket both in the morning and in their second innings.

"That deflated their spirits and raised ours. When you have someone like Shoaib bowling as fast as that anything can happen, and it did.

"But it was a tremendous team performance. We knew we needed runs on the board in the first innings and we did well after being 146 for five. We are getting quite good at rescuing tricky situations like that."

Durham have been on the receiving end of some hostile bowling at Taunton on a few occasions, notably from Andrew Caddick and Andre Van Troost, so there could be no sympathy for the demoralised visitors.

Their second innings slump began in the third over, when Shoaib took three wickets.

Jamie Cox gloved a leg-side catch to Phil Mustard, skipper Mike Burns was pinned lbw by a shooter and left-handed debutant Wes Durston fended a fearsome delivery to short leg.

Jamie Bryant edged to Mustard to become Killeen's first victim and Ian Blackwell's response to the dilemma was to slog. He made six before giving Mustard the third of his four catches.

Aaron Laraman played across a very quick ball of fullish length to have his leg and middle stumps rattled and when Shoaib was rested after six overs Mark Davies immediately had Rob Turner lbw.

Wes Durston was the longest survivor - for all of 20 balls - before Killeen nipped one back to take his inside edge, then the big-hitting approach of Richard Johnson and Nixon McLean saw them become the only batsmen to reach double figures.

Johnson hit a four through the covers and a six over mid-wicket off Davies to take Somerset past their lowest first-class total of 25 before he was run out by Gary Pratt attempting a third to deep cover.

Durham had not beaten Somerset in the championship since a generous declaration by Chris Tavare handed them victory at Darlington in 1992.

When Somerset resumed on 83 for four in the morning, Shoaib struck in the second over when Laraman fished at a shortish ball just outside off stump and edged to third slip.

This provided the first sign that it was to be Durham's day as Gordon Muchall failed to hold on to the catch but knocked it up for Ashley Thorpe to complete the catch at second slip.

Thorpe, substituting for Michael Gough, who was ill, also took a very good catch to his right to get rid of Durston, while Turner gloved a brutal lifter of fearsome pace to Mustard.

The wicketkeeper took another catch to complete Shoaib's early carnage when Johnson edged an ambitious drive at the third ball he faced.

The Pakistani bowled three more overs without success as Steffan Jones helped Burns put on 33 before being yorked by Vince Wells.

Three balls later Wells moved a very good ball across left-hander McLean to trim his off bail. Having taken two wickets the previous evening, Wells finished with a season's-best four for 16, even better than Shoaib's four for 39.

No 3 batsman Burns remained unbeaten on 35 out of his team's 139 and must have been surprised when Jon Lewis did not enforce the follow-on with Somerset 206 behind.

He knew there was enough time left in the match to give his bowlers a good rest before asking them to finish the job after batting Somerset out of the game.

Opening with Muchall in Gough's absence, Lewis advanced the lead by 40 before driving at Jones and edging to second slip.

Nicky Peng, probably vying with Muchall for a place in the next match when Martin Love will return, was sent in at three.

But both departed quickly as they seemed unsure how to approach the task.

Wells was bowled by a shooter and it could have been 56 for five had Pratt not been dropped on four at second slip.

But he and Mustard went for their shots and put on 81, by which time the game was clearly beyond Somerset.

Durham had hoped to rub their noses in it by setting them a target of 400, but as things turned out such notions proved irrelevant.

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