Durham take spinners to Edgbaston

Steve Harmison will be hoping to continue his good form, having taken an impressive 15 wickets in the last two championship games

Durham have added spinners Gareth Breese and Scott Borthwick to their squad as they travel to face Warwickshire in the LV=County Championship Division One at Edgbaston.

Durham have won back-to-back games in seamer-friendly conditions at Chester-le-Street, but coach Geoff Cook has decided to draft in the spinning duo for a pitch expected to be more suited to batting.

Steve Harmison will be hoping to build on his impressive form of recent weeks, after picking up nine wickets in the win over Lancashire, while Graham Onions has been doing his chances of earning an Ashes place no harm with consistent wicket-taking.

With all-rounder Ian Blackwell providing left-arm spin, it is likely that only one of Breese or Borthwick will play at Edgbaston as Durham aim to put the pressure on Nottinghamshire at the top of the table.

“Every opposition brings a different challenge to us and we go to Warwickshire to what has traditionally been a pretty flat wicket over the past two or three years so that will be a different sort of game," Cook told Durham's website.

"The important thing is that we get into the game in the first innings and then we’ll just see where that takes us from there."

“You have to be able and brave enough to make some changes to a winning team but equally, you don’t just do it for the sake of it, you’ve got to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons."

Warwickshire are able to welcome back fast bowler Boyd Rankin, who returns from the ICC World Twenty20 following Ireland's elimination.

The 24-year-old took three wickets at an average of 34 as Ireland exceeded expectations by reaching the Super Eights stage.

Ian Bell will be hoping to boost his England chances by impressing against the strong Durham bowling line-up, while all-rounder Rikki Clarke is still missing with injury, although he will play in a second XI fixture this week in a bid to build up his fitness.