DURHAM'S injury list is approaching crisis proportions with Stephen Harmison the most serious of the new casualties.

The England Academy paceman is out for four to six weeks with the same sort of side injury which has sidelined Simon Brown.

Out of a squad of 23 Durham now have only 11 fit players and others missing the three-day match against Sri Lanka starting today include Martin Love (back and hand), wicketkeeper Andrew Pratt (groin) and Neil Killeen (ankle), while Paul Collingwood will not bowl because of a knee problem.

It is hoped Love and Pratt will be fit for Sunday's opening game in division one of the National League against Warwickshire, but uncertainty still surrounds Danny Law and Michael Gough.

Law is seeing a specialist today about his back problem, while Gough is having three days of intensive treatment on his foot prior to a possible injection.

Australia-born all-rounder Ashley Thorpe and wicketkeeper Phil Mustard make their first-class debuts today, with coach Martyn Moxon saying: "It's the strongest side we can put out. We are down to the bare bones."

Durham signed off from the Benson & Hedges Cup with a four-wicket win against Derbyshire yesterday, but the Riverside faithful will hope for much brighter cricket from the Sri Lankans.

On a chilly, cheerless day, the moment of greatest interest for the sparse crowd came with the arrival of a coach bearing the tourists, who spent two hours in the nets.

On their journey north from playing British Universities at Northampton, the Sri Lankans had apparently called at the Meadowhall shopping centre, by the M1 near Sheffield, to buy some thermals and they wore two pairs each yesterday.

There was no Muthiah Muralitharan because of his shoulder injury, but the other big names were there, including Aravinda de Silva, who once lit up the Riverside for Kent on a pitch of pace and uneven bounce.

He will find it much more benign now, and it will be interesting to see how the dashing Sri Lankan strokeplayers adapt to the ball not coming on to the bat as they might expect.

In the B & H Cup's final season before giving way to 20-over slogs, the northern group's bottom two teams bowed out with barely a whimper.

Fortunately, Nicky Peng and Gold Award winner Paul Collingwood finally found the strokes to light up the contest after Durham had slipped to 30 for two in reply to Derbyshire's 172 all out.

Collingwood, granted a free hit by a Paul Aldred no-ball, took advantage with a six over wide long-on and cut the next ball fiercely through gully for four.

In trying to stop it, Michael di Venuto hurt a finger and retired, and with wicketkeeper Karl Krikken already off with a calf injury, Derbyshire sent on physio Craig Ranson, whose misfield at extra cover gave Peng the last of his four fours.

Lancashire's rapid progress towards victory against Yorkshire meant Durham had no chance of climbing into third place.

Durham brought in Nicky Hatch for his first senior appearance of the season and he was one of four bowlers to take two wickets.

Both were caught and bowled, with left-handed opener Steve Stubbings lobbing a gentle return when pushing forward to ball which bounced more than he expected, while Steve Selwood went for a big hit which succeeded only in skying the ball.

Selwood, 21, takes up his full Derbyshire contract when he finishes at Loughborough University next month and was one of five changes from the team which beat Durham in the championship.

Athough too many of his shots were straight at fielders, he looked a useful player and shared a fourth wicket stand of 66 in 17 overs with Dominic Hewson.

That was the one point of the innings when Durham were not in command and it ended when Selwood set off for a suicidal run to gully and Collingwood's direct hit ran out Hewson for 46.

The former Gloucestershire man started scratchily, but showed a lot of the expertise built up through playing for a successful one-day team.

When Selwood followed for 33 Derbyshire had precious little left, with Durham's nemesis Dominic Cork among those who were resting.

So was Mohammad Ali, the paceman who broke Jimmy Daley's finger and poleaxed Yorkshire's Matthew Wood, but in a week and a half he has made a big enough impression to be offered a contract.

Di Venuto, captaining Derbyshire in Cork's absence, was brilliantly caught by Durham skipper Jon Lewis, diving to his left at mid-on.

Another Tasmanian, Chris Bassano, made 22 before nibbling at a ball from Ian Hunter which went through at good pace to take the edge on the way into Love's hands at slip.

Once Hewson had been run out, wickets fell regularly and it was surprising in such a weak line-up that Hetton-born Graeme Welch should come in as low as No 10.

He made 11 before he tried to dig out a yorker from Collingwood and the ball trickled on to his stumps.

Durham's reply got off to a disappointing start when Gary Pratt miscued an attempted pull to mid-on, then the jinx which afflicts Durham's Australian batsmen in this event continued.

Dean Jones had a nightmare in the B & H, Simon Katich fared little better and Martin Love's tally in this series was 70 in five innings after he got an inside edge on to his pad and was caught behind off raw seamer Tom Lungley.

Peng made 35 before he tried to drive left-arm spinner Lian Wharton for a straight six and was caught by Lungley coming round from long-on.

Lewis again fell in the 20s, bowled when trying to whip a full-length ball from Lungley to leg and there was the threat of a late wobble when Collingwood tried to paddle Paul Aldred and fine leg and was caught by Stubbings, the deputy wicketkeeper, for 51.

Marc Symington survived one run-out chance before falling to the second, leaving Andrew Pratt to see Durham home with 19 balls left.

Moxon said: "We lost two games batting second in this competition which we should have won. We have lost wickets unnecessarily and put ourselves under pressure.

"We have talked about it and we have to learn quickly from our mistakes."

Durham (v Sri Lanka): J J B Lewis (capt), G J Pratt, G J Muchall, P D Collingwood, N Peng, A M Thorpe, M J Symington, I D Hunter, P Mustard, G D Bridge, N G Hatch.

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