DEWALD Pretorius has to meet up with his South African teammates in Dublin on June 16 prior to the opening tour match against Ireland two days later.

That means he has only this week's match in Hampshire left for Durham, plus the opening Twenty20 Cup thrash against Nottinghamshire at Riverside on June 13.

"I was looking forward to a great season with Durham and I have loved my time here," he said. "It was a surprise to be in both South African squads. I think I'm more likely to play in the Tests than the one-dayers.

"It's probably between me and Makhaya Ntini to open the bowling with Shaun Pollock."

In his one Test to date, against Australia at Cape Town in March, he took none for 72 in 11 overs in the first innings and claimed his only wicket when he bowled Justin Langer for 58 in the second.

"I still get spasms in my neck from looking for the ball when Langer and Hayden got after me," he said.

"When you run in on your Test debut you are not yourself. You don't know what you are doing. It was only then that I learnt what cricket is all about and I knew if I wanted to play Test cricket I had a lot of work to do.

"The gap between provincial cricket in South Africa and Test cricket is way too big. Now I have tasted it I will approach it differently and get myself mentally prepared.

"County cricket seems very competitive, but some of the batsmen seem to take it a bit too easy. They think if they get out today they can have another go tomorrow, but in South Africa and Australia you don't get that many chances.

"Durham have so many young players with so much talent it's amazing. They have to take more responsibility and play to their strengths, but in the next two years they could become a great side."

Pretorius took great delight in winning a game for Durham when he took three of the remaining four Derbyshire wickets on the final day.

He had a barbecue the previous evening with Newcastle Falcons' South African prop Marius Hurter and they had a small wager on the outcome of the match.

"I thought if I bowled in good areas to Dominic Cork he would come at me and after the third nick he was caught.

"I have learned to bowl a bit fuller in this country. The quicker you work out what length to bowl for the pitch and the batsman the sooner you frustrate him then he will get himself out."

Pretorius thinks Riverside is "awesome" and loves the North-East people, adding: "I would love to come back to Durham, but it's not in my hands now."

JAVAGAL Srinath is returning to Durham next Sunday for a two-week spell of coaching the bowlers. But it is unlikely he will be prevailed upon to play in the absence of Martin Love.

The rules probably would not permit it in any case as replacements either have to be for the rest of the season in the case of injury or as a stand-in for someone on international duty.

"I don't think he would be interested in playing again," said coach Martyn Moxon. "He felt he had not performed as well as he would have liked for us because the World Cup had taken more out of him than he realised.

"He wanted to give us something back, so he's rejoining us after a two-week holiday in America and will talk to all the bowlers, particularly about the mental side of it. It should be invaluable."

DURHAM'S exit from the C & G Trophy will give them the chance of a dress-rehearsal for the Twenty20 Cup.

They particularly need to know how tough it is going to be to get through the 20 overs in the stipulated 75 minutes, especially with a six runs per over penalty to be imposed.

"It's going to be tight," said Martyn Moxon. "We will either have to use a spinner or bowl off short runs. It's certainly going to be all-action with in-coming batsmen having to be at the crease within 90 seconds."

AS if all the injuries were not robbing Durham of enough players, there is a danger that Vince Wells might have to miss a game in July through attending a tribunal.

He is being called to speak in defence of former Leicestershire teammates Mike Burns and Carl Crowe, who are claiming their contracts were improperly terminated.

Some of us believe that when clubs decide professional sportsmen are no longer good enough they should have the right to get rid of them without any fuss.

For the nanny state's interference to take a key player out of action seems ridiculous.

Read more about Durham County Cricket Club here.