Image: Social media reacts as Rohit Derbyshire face Durham in the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stage match / © Cricket World
As the 2026 One Day Cup gets underway, Derbyshire and Durham will meet in the opening fixture at the County Ground in Derby on 21 July. Both teams will be looking to make a positive start after falling short of the knockout stages in the previous edition. Derbyshire finished eighth in Group A with just one win from eight matches, while Durham ended sixth in Group B after registering three victories from their eight league games.
Derbyshire will hope that playing at home gives them an early advantage. Caleb Jewell was the standout performer for the side last season, scoring 438 runs in 7 innings at an impressive average of 62.57. Matthew Montgomery also enjoyed a productive campaign with 422 runs in 6 innings at an average of 70.33, while Harry Came contributed 292 runs in 7 innings. With the ball, Ben Aitchison claimed 13 wickets in 6 innings at an average of 26.92, and Zak Chappell added 10 wickets.
Durham will arrive with confidence after producing slightly stronger results last season. Alex Lees scored 355 runs in 6 innings at an average of 71, while Will Rhodes made a valuable all round contribution with 429 runs in 8 innings at an average of 53.62 and 14 wickets at an average of 26.35. Mitchell Killeen also impressed with 10 wickets in 6 innings, while Ben Raine picked up 11 wickets in his last 6 appearances in the format.
The recent head to head record has been evenly balanced, with both sides winning two of their last five meetings. County Ground has generally favoured teams batting first, with 15 of the 19 One Day Internationals played at the venue being won by the side setting a target. The average first innings score is 241, compared to 184 in the second innings. Clear skies and pleasant temperatures between 14 and 26 degrees are expected, creating favourable conditions for the opening contest.