DURHAM, as feared, are not well-equipped for Twenty20 cricket. Batting-wise, the competition is being dominated by Australians and left-handers, and Durham reflect that with Martin Love scoring 51 in his one innings and Ashley Thorpe averaging 31 from his three knocks.

Otherwise Nicky Peng's 49 in the first match has been the only innings of note and Durham are hoping someone can improve on that in the remaining games at Derby tonight and Old Trafford tomorrow.

The top three in the Yorkshire line-up which amassed the competition's highest total, 198 for four, were all left-handers, and those at the top of the averages are mainly Australian left-handers - Simon Katich, Michael Di Venuto and Mike Hussey.

Ironically, one of the top Englishmen in the averages is former Durham player Robin Weston, who can't get into Middlesex's championship side because of people like EU passport holder Sven Koenig.

Weston would not strike anyone as being more suited to the one-day bash, but batting at No 7 he has made 34 not out and 30 in his two Twenty20 innings.

But the real surprise has been another ex-Durham man, Australian right-hander Brad Hodge, who has the top score of 97 in his 198 runs in four innings and has taken five wickets at 12.2 with his little-used off-spin.

DURHAM hope to field both Martin Love and Shoaib Akhtar in their match at Worcester starting on Wednesday week, but in their first 11 championship games they will have fielded two overseas players only three times.

Dewald Pretorius missed the first game because he was with South Africa A in Australia, then both he and Javagal Srinath played against Gloucestershire at Riverside.

Pretorius missed the next game through injury, then he and Martin Love played against Derbyshire before Love missed two games with his broken thumb.

Love will be absent for four games after Worcester as he returns to Australia for the Tests against Bangladesh at Darwin on July 18-22 and Cairns on July 25-29.

This makes it imperative that Durham beat a depleted Worcestershire side if they are to maintain hopes of promotion.

Graeme Hick will still be out with a broken hand, Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali will be with the England one-day squad and Andrew Hall will be with the South Africans. His temporary replacement will be another South African all-rounder, Justin Kemp.

SECOND team coach Alan Walker believes his young charges need to "switch on", but has no complaints about Liam Plunkett.

"He has pace, aggression and everything you would want in a young bowler," he said. "Graham Onions has also got better each game and is looking good.

"But when he was due to go in as nightwatchman and didn't get in he asked if he would still go in first next morning when a wicket fell. That's the sort of thing they don't know.

"Some of them need to switch on a bit. They say they are watching what's going on, but sometimes they don't seem to take much in."

Walker believes that Humbersider Dave Barrick falls into this bracket, adding that he has the potential to bat in the middle order as well as bowling his useful leg-spin.

Barrick did well in last week's win against Lancashire at Hartlepool, as did Nicky Hatch, James Lowe and Andrew Pratt, who Walker is sure will get back in the first team.

Despite poor attendances, the coach is happy to play at outgrounds because he believes players need to learn how to play on different surfaces.

"But I'm not a big fan of four-day games at this level, particularly if you are fielding a young team" he said. "You can find yourself juggling about for bowlers."

Durham begin a run of 50-over Second X1 Trophy matches with the visit of Yorkshire to Riverside today, followed by Nottinghamshire tomorrow.

Their other home games are at Sunderland (July 2) and Darlington (July 4), and they also go to Feethams for a three-day match against Notts starting on July 22.

STEPHEN Harmison is 36th among the world's Test bowlers in the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers rankings, which have not yet got round to including Jimmy Anderson.

Durham's new signing Shoaib Akhtar is eighth, while among one-day batsmen Paul Collingwood is 32nd.

Unless there are injuries in the England one-day squad, Harmison looks unlikely to get much cricket during the NatWest series, which ends on July 12, with the first Test against South Africa starting 12 days later. The last one finishes on September 8.

If Harmison hardly plays in the one-day games it is conceivable England might release him to play in the championship match against Yorkshire at Riverside starting on July 15. Otherwise Durham are not going to see him until their last two games at Bristol and at home to Glamorgan.

INDIA A begin their six-week tour against British Universities at Durham City's Racecourse ground on Wednesday, followed by a four-day match against Durham at Riverside starting on Friday. They also have first-class fixtures against Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Glamorgan, Surrey, Warwickshire and the South Africans at Arundel, plus three one-day games.

Read more about Durham County Cricket Club here.