Ahead of the new domestic season Michael Grahamslaw met Ryan Campbell Head Coach at Durham Cricket to look at the team’s prospects and ambitions for the months ahead.
Looking to the 2026 season what are the key goals you’ve set for Durham?
Naturally getting back to Division 1 has to be our absolute priority. 2025 was so disappointing from so many perspectives. In a tough league we didn’t dominate when able and suffered lots of bowling injuries. The reality is you can’t have a bad hour never mind day. This has led to a tough off season and much introspection as to the way forward.
What have you focussed on improving most over the winter after reviewing last year?
Its fair to say there has been no holiday and I have spent much of the time staring at a whiteboard, writing and analysing why things went wrong. The reality is we had too many players out of form and batters who struggled to get big scores which meant we were constantly bowling under pressure. A lot of injuries added to the pinch points and meant we ended one point away from where we needed to be.
Durham has an enviable reputation for producing exciting young talent. How important is the pathway from the academy to the first team in your plans for this year?
The importance of the academy is beyond belief. After the sale of the hundred teams we have eight counties who are happy where they sit while ten aren’t. This means we have to produce our own players to help us win games of cricket.
What has pre season preparation looked like for the squad?
With our pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi cancelled it hasn’t been ideal but some things you can’t control. After this I sat down with our Director of Cricket, Marcus North, to calmly look at what we could do. We have fortunately been able to send our bowling staff to Spain to get some miles in their legs and also manage a two day game against Sussex and a three day match against Durham University.
With a cluttered schedule across Championship, ODI Cup and T20 how do you approach managing the squad across such different formats?
Well one thing we don’t do is call it the county grind and grump about it. Playing cricket for a living is an absolute privilege. We try to be clear in our planning and look at the season and divvy it up accordingly. This includes factoring in rest periods for key players and ensuring our youngsters are ready when needed. It is always hard to prepare 100% as we have six four day games followed by T20 but that is a challenge we welcome and meet head on.
Who are the new signings or emerging players Durham supporters should be excited about?
We have recruited Kasey Aldridge from Somerset. He is an allrounder who can open the bowling, bat as high as five or six and, after Jacob Bethell, is probably the second best fielder in the country.
Ben McKinney and Emilio Gay are also on the fringe of the England squad. Our captain Alex Lees really took relegation to heart and is primed and ready to take it out on the opposition.
From a coaching perspective what modern trends – tactically or analytically- are influencing how Durham plays the game today?
Analytics are hugely important and if you don’t use them you are robbing your club of opportunity. T20 transformed the game and players can’t hide. We have video footage of them from Under 16 and Under 18 level upwards and use regularly to find an opponents weaknesses. There are constantly new ways emerging on how to do things. I also like to encourage my coaches to go and experience franchise cricket and gain more knowledge of how the game is evolving.
How would you describe the culture within the squad right now?
The dressing room is so important. Cricket is unique as no other job means you spend four days together and then spend a lot of time travelling and in hotels with each other.
We set high standards but everyone has an equal say. I encourage a learning environment and like my players to be cricketing anoraks who enjoy and love the game.
Where do you take your inspiration from?
My late parents both loved sport and as a young man I listened to their words, they are my inspiration. I had a near death experience a couple of years ago and have realised how precious time is and how fortunate I am to work in this wonderful game.
Finally what would success look like for Durham at the end of 2026?
Naturally as a coach I want us to gain promotion. However I also want us to play a brand of cricket which excites, produces England players, allow young people to do well and most importantly represent the wonderful North East with pride.
www.durhamcricket.co.uk