DURHAM have put a South African Test batsman on stand-by to be their overseas player next season if Simon Katich is required for the Ashes tour.

They were believed to have a shortlist of five candidates, but chairman Bill Midgley confirmed that it is now down to one.

"He is a current Test player and he has agreed to come at short notice," said Midgley. "We are expecting to hear shortly whether Simon is in the Australian squad to tour India next month. We have been told if he is in that squad it is likely that he will be in the Ashes party.

"He has been in good form for Western Australia and their coach recently described his as the next cab on the rank."

Two members of the current South Africa batting line-up, Gary Kirsten and Darryl Cullinan, have scored double centuries against Durham.

Kirsten, a left-handed opener, hit 201 at the Chester-le-Street club ground in 1994 and Cullinan made the biggest individual score at the Riverside, 200 not out, in 1998.

Cullinan, 33, had a season with Derbyshire in 1995 and is unlikely to fancy another crack at county cricket.

Durham are likely to be looking for someone younger, which brings the likes of Herschelle Gibbs and Boeta Dippenaar into the reckoning.

Martyn Moxon will leave Yorkshire at the end of next week and start work at the Riverside on February 1.

"We are delighted he can start so early," said Midgley. "He goes to Sri Lanka in March to help coach England for the one-day series, so he will have a good month to establish his base at Durham before leaving.

"He is keen to talk to our captain, Jon Lewis. But he is playing in South Africa until March, so I expect there will be a lot of phone calls."

l Durham batsman Nicky Peng is expected to play in the first four-day Test against India Under 19s, which starts in Mumbai today.

Peng joined the tour only five days ago because he was waiting for the all-clear on an ankle injury sustained in pre-tour training.

Durham's Gary Pratt and Ian Pattison are also in the squad.

The tourists lost by ten wickets against Rest of India Under-19 after struggling against some quality spin bowling in their only three-day warm-up match before the Test.

England coach Tim Boon must decide whether to go in with two frontline spinners, despite the poor form so far of Monty Panesar, the Northamptonshire slow left-armer who ousted Durham's Graeme Bridge from the squad last summer.

If Panesar does not play skipper Ian Bell will bowl some off-spin