It's all go ahead of Lord's final

Twenty20 winners Kent are alongside them at the top of division two with two wins from two games but have just suffered a two-day championship defeat by Surrey at Canterbury.

That gives Surrey a three-day break and they will be travelling to Chester-le-Street tomorrow ahead of the four-day match starting at Riverside on Monday.

Durham will be arriving home at around 2am and reporting for duty less than eight hours later ahead of a game which has been brought forward a day because of the Friends Provident Trophy final.

Kent recently signed Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan with the slingy action, to replace Andrew Hall, and with Yasir Arafat back in action after injury, plus Twenty20 final hero Ross McLaren, they have a useful seam attack.

Their batting was undone this week by Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who took 11 wickets in the match as Surrey climbed above their hosts to escape the bottom two.

Durham have included Steve Harmison tomorrow and all being well he will also play against Surrey. Hopes of stepping up his workload yesterday were dashed when he had the chance of only two overs before Sri Lanka A declared.

They added 58 runs in four overs for the loss of two wickets before declaring on 212 for eight, setting Durham a target of 372 in 84 overs. They were all out for 217, losing by 154 runs.

Coach Geoff Cook said: "I was impressed with the speed Steve generated and he's not feeling any pain. He's very keen to play against Kent, but we'll wait to see how he is. It's a very important game, so we can't afford to see it as part of his rehabilitation."

Of those who made their senior Durham debuts against the Sri Lankans, Cook said: "Will Gidman bowled very well throughout and he now realises the batting standards he has to work towards.

"Luke Evans was excellent and became more and more confident, and Lee Goddard did very well. He's on contract for the rest of this season and will be offered one for next year.

"A few people batted well, but it's a pity that no-one went on to make a big hundred because that's what we're looking for as a club."

Harmison's first three balls yesterday were hit for four, six, four by Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who also bowls leg spin and is in Sri Lanka's 15-man squad for next month's Twenty20 World Championship. The hooked six to the short leg-side boundary bounced into the bushes by the River Wear, but the bowler had his revenge in his next over, and proved he is not short of pace after his hernia operation, as he sent the off stump cartwheeling for 15 yards.

Harmison wasted little time after the declaration in joining the rest of the senior players in the nets, while Mark Stoneman endured a torturous time in the middle.

After his fleunt batting in the first innings he survived a return catch off a no-ball as he took until the ninth over to get off the mark by driving a full toss through mid-off for four.

Battling through sticky periods is part of a batsman's education and he appeared to have achieved it as he reached 21 off 76 balls at lunch. But without addition he was run out when he set off for a single and was sent back when Kyle Coetzer played the ball to mid-wicket.

Coetzer departed in the next over, edging left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to slip, leaving Gordon Muchall and Garry Park to ensure there was some resistance.

Following his first innings 45, Park quickly became the dominant partner in a stand of 93, again sweeping the spinners to good effect.

Muchall was just beginning to play fluently when, much to his annoyance, he was run out for 44 after hesitating in mid-pitch when called for a sharp single. As Durham were not going to win it was a senseless waste of good practice opportunity for a batsman desperately seeking consistency.

While Herath is no mug, the left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara was the real class act in the visiting party and his return quickly saw off Park.

Shortly after completing a 65-ball half-century he edged to the wicketkeeper, then the same bowler yorked Gareth Breese for four and had the left-handed Will Gidman caught at second slip for eight.

After bowling only four overs at the start of the innings, Welegedara had suddenly taken three for 12 in 4.3 overs, leaving Durham on 186 for seven at tea.

He could have had another wicket shortly afterwards, when Lee Goddard was dropped at gully, but the wicketkeeper failed to cash in as he was bowled trying to sweep Herath.

Harmison chipped to mid-off and it was all over when Luke Evans became the third run-out victim of the innings in a mix-up with Graham Onions.

Durham's squad for tomorrow is: D M Benkenstein (capt), M J Di Venuto, P Mustard, K J Coetzer, S Chanderpaul, G J Muchall, G T Park, G R Breese, O D Gibson, L E Plunkett, S J Harmison, G Onions, N Killeen, P J Wiseman.