Vitality T20 Blast 2023: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street pitch history and T20 records

Durham struggled in the last edition of Vitality T20 Blast. They managed to win only three out of 14 games in the group stages and finished eighth in the points table. They managed to win only two games at home last year and will be hoping to put in a much-improved performance in this year’s Vitality T20 Blast.

Durham will lock horns against Nottinghamshire in their first game at home on May 29. Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street will be hosting all the home games of Durham. A total of seven fixtures will be played at this venue and will be interesting to see how Durham go about their business.

Ahead of Durham’s first home game, let’s look at how the surface at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street behaves and the T20 stats.

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street T20 records and stats

The Riverside Ground was established in 1995 and the floodlights were installed in 2015, allowing it to host night fixtures. The ground has relatively low stands and the Lumley Castle provides a great view for the spectators. The Riverside Ground has hosted 60 T20s so far and the average first innings score is 160. It has a capacity of 5,000 and can be increased to 17,000 for international games.

T20 matches played: 60

Matches won by teams batting first: 31

Matches won by teams batting second: 29

Matches Tied: 0

Matches Abandoned: 0

Highest team score: Durham 223/2

Lowest team score: Durham 78/10

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street pitch report

The Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street offers a balanced surface. The fast bowlers may get some movement off the deck. The breeze flowing across the ground due to the low stands helps the bowlers in swinging the new ball. It won’t be easy for the batters early in their innings.

We have seen scores below 150 on 23 occasions. It suggests that the bowlers have the upper hand. They have been dominant in the past and will continue to do so in the upcoming edition of the Vitality T20 Blast. The batters will have to work hard to score runs here.