Durham will be without batsman Graham Clark for the remainder of the Metro Bank One Day Cup after he was signed by Sunrisers Leeds as an injury replacement for The Hundred tournament. Clark, who has previously appeared for Northern Superchargers in the last two seasons, will join the Leeds-based franchise at Headingley for the remainder of the competition, which concludes on August 16.

As a result, Clark will miss Durham’s upcoming fixtures, including today’s match against Middlesex, Sunday’s game with Essex, and the final group stage encounter against Worcestershire next Tuesday. Durham currently sit third in the table with four wins from five matches, narrowly trailing Middlesex on net run rate. Middlesex, the group leaders, are also depleted as five of their players—Leus du Plooy, Max Holden, Sebastian Morgan, Tom Helm, and Caleb Falconer—are away on franchise duty with The Hundred.

England and Durham batsman Emilio Gay reflected on the team’s recent performances following a win against Hampshire. He acknowledged that while the team has secured several victories, they have yet to deliver a fully cohesive performance combining both batting and bowling. Gay described his century in the Hampshire match as an important and more mature innings, emphasizing the need to anchor the batting lineup and avoid collapses. He noted that his approach was about occupying the crease and contributing consistently rather than relying on other senior players.

Gay also praised the bowling effort, particularly highlighting the late-innings spell from Luke Robinson and Shafiqullah Ghafari. He identified their performance after breaking a key partnership as pivotal in turning the game in Durham’s favor, stating that taking a couple of wickets in the latter stages can quickly shift momentum. The combination of disciplined bowling during the final overs helped secure the win.

Durham’s current squad includes Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, George Drissell, Emilio Gay, Shafiqullah Ghafari, Alex Lees, James Minto, Haydon Mustard, Duanne Olivier, Will Rhodes, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson, and Ben Stokes, with Clarke now temporarily absent due to his Hundred commitment.