Durham hoping for home comfort against Yorkshire

Head coach Geoff Cook is hoping familiar surroundings at Chester-le-Street will encourage Durham to show their true potential against Yorkshire.

Durham were thrashed by 318 runs by champions Warwickshire at Edgbaston in last week's Championship outing.

But Cook said: "You do not want to press any panic buttons at this stage."

The game sees the first return to his former county of seam bowler Liam Plunkett, who left Durham for Yorkshire at the end of last season.

Middlesbrough-born Plunkett said he was looking forward to playing against his former team-mates.

He told the Yorkshire website: "It will be good to play against my old friends and I'm certainly up for it. I feel like I'm bowling nicely at the minute, so physically and mentally I'm in a good place.

"It's good competition and tough work on the field, but I'm sure I'll be having a bite to eat with some of them off it. It's where I played all my county years, and it should be good fun."

Cook, who has named an unchanged squad for the fixture, will be looking for more runs from Durham's top order after a collective failure in both innings against Warwickshire.

Between them, batsmen Mark Stoneman, Keaton Jennings, Will Smith and Dale Benkenstein have scored a total of just 99 runs so far this season.

"It's disappointing for them," he said. "These fellers can all bat, but they have got to be given the time and support to get their game going.

"Irrespective of who you play, the same formulas still stand and you have to make sure you get your own act together rather than worrying about anyone else.

"Every game is going to be tricky this season. Most teams have beefed themselves up and there are good bowling units in Division One this year."