Durham Cricket Club has become a successful path for many cricketers in England to succeed in cricket.
Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood are famous and successful players from a big list of players who started at Durham. They are regarded as some of the best players in England. The cricket culture in England, particularly the county team structures, was the main reason these players had the chance to represent the national team.
This blog highlights the top 7 players from Durham County Cricket Club who have become famous English Cricketers.
Top 7 England Cricketers From Durham
Let’s take a look at the list of famous English players who came from the ranks of Durham Cricket.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Ben Stokes | All-rounder |
| Paul Collingwood | All-rounder |
| Brydon Carse | Fast bowler |
| Graham Onions | Fast bowler |
| Steve Harmison | Fast bowler |
| Liam Plunkett | Fast bowler |
| Phil Mustard | Wicket-keeper batter |
Scroll below to get the details of how Durham County Cricket helped these players’ growth and success in Cricket.
1. Ben Stokes
Overall Career Stats:
| Matches | 271 |
| Innings | 340 |
| Runs | 10939 |
| Highest Score | 258 |
| 100s | 18 |
| 50s | 60 |
| BBI | 6/22 |
| Wickets | 324 |
Ben Stokes is among the famous and most followed English cricketers in the current era. He began his cricketing journey with Durham after moving to England at a very young age.
Durham cricket academy helped him rise through the ranks with training and development and made him perform well in the small age group tournaments. He made his first-class debut in 2010 and started his all-round journey with powerful left-hand batting and right-arm seam bowling.
His performance in county cricket caught the eyes of the national team and led him to become one of England’s greatest all-rounders, and a match-winning hero as well.
2. Paul Collingwood
Overall Career Stats:
| Matches | 301 |
| Innings | 329 |
| Runs | 9934 |
| Highest Score | 206 |
| 100s | 15 |
| 50s | 49 |
| BBI | 6/31 |
| Wickets | 144 |
Paul Collingwood’s cricket journey started at the grassroots level in Durham and took him to become a great all-rounder and a legend for England cricket.
He joined the Durham County team before the club achieved first-class status and made his debut in 1992. Collingwood played cricket with remarkable grit and determination.
He developed all these qualities while at Durham. They gave him the perfect platform for developing his techniques, and his consistency made him part of the England national team. He later became a presence in all formats as well. He is considered to be another respected and famous figure from Durham in international cricket.
3. Brydon Carse
Overall Career Stats:
| Matches | 43 |
| Wicket | 81 |
| Average | 30.01 |
| BBI | 6/42 |
| BBM | 10/106 |
Brydon Carse is considered to be the future player for England in all formats, and currently playing as well. His cricket journey began with Durham after moving from South Africa.
He made his first-class debut for Durham in 2016 and caught the attention with his raw pace. Durham played a vital role in shaping Carse’s career and making him a force in white ball cricket.
After having performed well with the ball in the Royal London One-Day Cup, he got a much-deserved England call-up and later became a regular figure in the English cricket setup. His journey highlights Durham’s strong approach to developing fast bowling talent for the country.
4. Graham Onions
Overall Career Stats:
| Matches | 13 |
| Wicket | 36 |
| Average | 29.90 |
| BBI | 5/38 |
| BBM | 7/102 |
Graham Onions is one of the most famous English cricketers from the Durham County Cricket Club. He joined the county academy and made his first class debut in 2004.
A pace bowler with a smooth action and his ability to swing the ball both ways caught the attention of the cricket fraternity around the country. Graham Onions became a regular attacker for Durham’s bowling unit.
Durham provided the perfect platform for him to showcase his skills and build on his consistency. He made his test debut for England in 2009 and later became a key figure in the English international team.
5. Steve Harmison
Overall Career Stats:
| Matches | 123 |
| Wicket | 303 |
| Average | 32.06 |
| BBI | 7/12 |
| BBM | 11/76 |
Steve Harmison began his cricketing journey with Durham in 1996. He developed his seam bowling skill well under the guidance of Durham’s experienced coaching staff and became a fast bowling sensation for team England.
His rise through the ranks led to an England national team debut in 2002 and went on to become a fear factor for the opposition batters. His contributions with the red ball were crucial for England’s Ashes triumphs and some overseas series wins.
6. Liam Plunkett
Overall Career Stats:
| Matches | 124 |
| Wicket | 201 |
| Average | 30.71 |
| BBI | 5/52 |
| BBM | 9/176 |
Liam Plunkett began his cricketing journey with Durham County in 2003. He quickly became a regular in Durham’s setup. The platform was set up by the county team as he got regular opportunities and developed his skills with the help of the coaching team.
He was part of England’s famous ODI World Cup win in 2019 and delivered with the ball in middle overs and with crucial wickets. He made his England debut in 2005 at just 20 years old.
7. Phil Mustard
Overall Career Stats(ODIs):
| Matches | 271 |
| Innings | 10 |
| Runs | 233 |
| Highest Score | 83 |
| 100s | 0 |
| 50s | 1 |
| Catches | 9 |
| Stumpings | 2 |
Phil Mustard, a product of Durham’s youth system, became a dynamic wicketkeeper-batter and was famous for his aggressive batting.
He made his first-class debut in 2002 with Durham, and his sharp glove work behind the stumps earned him the tag of ‘best wicket-keeper batter. All credit goes to Durham County Cricket Club for getting him to that level.
His consistent performances in limited-over formats led to an England call-up in 2007, and he represented England in both ODIs and T20Is.
Conclusion: Top 7 English Cricketers From Durham!
Durham County Cricket Club has produced many talents and contributed them to the world of English cricket. Among them, the most famous players like Ben Stokes, Paul Collingwood, and Brydon Carse are there.
Durham’s approach for developing the skills of their players, especially from a young age, is to get consistent development training and coaching from the experienced staff.
As each year passes and the facilities at Durham increase, there will be many more players who are on the brink of becoming famous and playing for the England national team in the future.
