The Metro Bank One-Day Cup is back this week, Glamorgan arriving as holders after last summer’s late surge at Trent Bridge. Somerset, beaten finalists in 2024, are determined to go one better, but Group B looks tight. A quick run-through, team by team, before the action begins.
Durham
Captain: Alex Lees
2024 finish: 5th in Group A
Top 2024 run-scorer: Colin Ackermann (316)
Top 2024 wicket-taker: Paul Coughlin (12)
Durham ride in with plenty of white-ball optimism after reaching the Vitality Blast knock-outs. Their One-Day Cup record is solid too ‑ finalists three years ago and still hunting a first limited-overs trophy since 2014. Importantly, only a handful of players have Hundred deals, so the squad remains close to full strength.
The return of Ollie Robinson could be decisive. The wicketkeeper-batter last played in this competition during Kent’s 2022 title run, when he peeled off a career-best 206 not out. At 26 he is in that sweet spot between raw and seasoned, and Durham expect him to anchor the top order.
Keep an eye as well on teenager Haydon Mustard. The 19-year-old gloveman featured throughout last year’s group phase, his 35 at Sedbergh remembered chiefly for the six that landed in the hands of his dad, Phil, in the crowd. If he is picked alongside Robinson, Durham suddenly bat very deep.
Bowling-wise, South Africa quick Codi Yusuf is available for the full tournament after a maiden Test series in Zimbabwe yielded ten wickets and plenty of praise back home. Yusuf’s extra pace alongside Coughlin and the dependable Ben Raine should give Durham the cutting edge they occasionally lacked in 2024.
Kent
Captains: Grant Stewart & Harry Finch (joint)
2024 finish: 7th in Group A
Top 2024 run-scorer: Jack Leaning (262)
Top 2024 wicket-taker: Matt Parkinson (12)
Kent enter with a stronger one-day squad than their red-ball form might suggest; only three senior players have been drafted into the Hundred. Memories of their 2022 triumph are still fresh and six members of that XI remain on the books. Whether the departing Nathan Gilchrist features before his move to Warwickshire is a live question, but overall the mix looks competitive.
Harry Finch is fast becoming Kent’s Swiss-army knife. Having admitted he “wasted the first part” of his Sussex career, the 29-year-old reinvented himself at Canterbury, taught himself to keep wicket and, this season, has scored heavily both at No. 3 and as an emergency opener in the Blast. Asked what he plans to master next, he grinned and said, “football”.
Teenage all-rounder Ekansh Singh could be the new crowd favourite. The Orpington-born right-hander cracked a century for England Under-19s at Chelmsford last month and has already dipped a toe into the Championship side. Kent like his calmness under pressure and the extra overs he offers with his brisk seamers.
Matt Parkinson remains the main spin threat, particularly on a hot August surface at Beckenham, though Stewart may use the experience of Michael Hogan and the raw pace of Arafat Bhuiyan in rotation. Kent’s path to the knock-outs probably hinges on improved death bowling ‑ an area that cost them tight games last year.
Early verdict
Neither county is shouting about silverware, but both quietly feel conditions suit them. Durham’s seam battery looks the most complete, Kent arguably boast the deeper batting. With only two quarter-final places on offer, the head-to-head meeting in the second week already has a must-win feel.
Group B rarely follows the script, so expect a few upsets, the odd breakout performance and, just maybe, the foundations of another unlikely title run.
