DURHAM took delivery of one new overseas player yesterday and hope to announce another one today.

Paceman Brad Williams flew in from Perth but will have the company of his Western Australia captain Mike Hussey for only 11 days.

The Durham skipper leaves for the Australia A tour of Pakistan after the home totesport League match against Scotland on Sunday week and Durham believe they have a replacement lined up.

Like Hussey, the player they are hoping to sign is a one-day international batsman and they will be pleased to land someone of that calibre given the current state of the market.

Events such as the Afro-Asian Cup, which began in South Africa yesterday, have complicated matters and while Essex may have congratulated themselves on landing South African paceman Andre Nel, they are now left cursing their misfortune.

Nel flew in as the replacement for Andre Adams, who was required by New Zealand in Zimbabwe, but he turned an ankle before the current match at Derby and was unable to play.

The official line is that it happened during the warm-up, but he is believed to have done it while playing football with his new team-mates.

With Darren Gough unable to bowl because of a hamstring strain yesterday, it was looking increasingly unlikely that fourth-placed Essex could gain the win which is essential to their chances of knocking one of the northern trio out of the promotion places.

Williams, who has played in four Tests and 25 one-day internationals, has not played since the end of the Australian season and has had to make do with indoor practice recently because of wet weather in Perth.

He will practise with Durham today and travel with them to Taunton tomorrow for Sunday's totesport match against Somerset.

Williams will take over from Mick Lewis in an otherwise unchanged squad after Tuesday night's win against Leicestershire.

Mark Davies had his first bowl yesterday following his back problem and will bowl again over the weekend. If there is no reaction he will play in Monday's friendly Twenty20 match against Yorkshire at Scarborough, which starts at 4pm.

Gary Scott is currently returning from his hamstring injury in the A team, but the season is over for Graeme Bridge, who is to wear a back brace for three months because of his stress fracture.

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