Liam Plunkett holds his nerve

A cracking match at the Riverside. The Friends Provident Trophy semi final between Durham and Essex was proof that you don't need a glut of sixes and fours for excitement in the one-day game.

After Essex were bowled out for just 71 this was a low-scoring classic, with a single worth half a dozen fours in any other context. In the end it came down to a test of nerve. Fortunately for Durham and most promisingly for England, Liam Plunkett held his.

Of 19 batsmen who appeared at the crease, four got into double figures, two passed 20 and only one, Liam Plunkett, reached 30. This in addition to taking 4-15 with the ball.

Both teams fell to 38-7 and it was at this point that Plunkett came in for Durham. That was the difference. Plunkett scored at a run a ball while Ottis Gibson's five off 27 balls in support was the third-longest of the match.

We're delighted. There's no way that Liam Plunkett isn't going to play a part for England in the future and this was a fantastically gutsy effort that shows he's undaunted by pressure. Perhaps Plunkett will be a player who 'puts his hand up' when he's really needed.

We're putting our hand up now. It's no use to anyone - least of all ourself as our typing speed has diminished considerably.

Mark Davies wows in an understated way

Steve Harmison's still busy with England, but with Liam Plunkett having been banished to county cricket, Durham have got quite a seam attack.

There's Plunkett himself who'll be watched with interest. There's also Graham Onions, the cricketing cognoscenti's young pace bowler of choice for this season. He's the man whose name crops up whenever anyone's asked 'what other young bowler is doing well in county cricket at the moment?'

The third member of Durham's pace bowling unit is never mentioned in this way. It's Mark Davies and he's currently outbowling both Plunkett and Onions. As usual.

In Durham's current county championship match, Mark Davies took 2-32 in Hampshire's first innings. This is classic Mark Davies. Not many wickets, but very few runs. In the second innings he took 4-48. A better wicket haul, but crucially one wicket short of being newsworthy.

Against Lancashire last week, Davies took 4-62 and 3-34. You can see how cheaply he gets his wickets, can't you? Graham Onions went wicketless in that match, but he'll get a five-for at some point and hit the headlines.