Gordon Muchall

Gordon Muchall, a middle-order batsman, was in the first intake of England's Academy, which went to Australia under the guidance of Rod Marsh in 2002-03.

Born in Newcastle and educated at Durham School, he made his first-class debut for Durham in 2002. Previously a member of two England Under-19 tours, e was awarded his county cap in 2005 and in 2006 scored two hundreds to help consolidate Durham's place in Division One.

He was subsequently pigeon-holed as something of a limited-overs specialist, however, topping Durham's batting averages in the 2007 Twenty20 Cup after being dismissed only once in the competition. He did not play any Championship cricket in 2008 and was a bit-player in Durham's triumphant campaign the following season.

Falling returns across all formats meant Muchall's place was no longer assured, and he himself admitted that he had doubts over whether he would even be contracted in 2010. Durham stuck with him, and in May 2011 he responded in fine style, setting a new county record partnership for the fifth wicket with Ian Blackwell. Muchall eventually reached a massive 175, and his 247-run stand with Blackwell helped set up an innings victory over Worcestershire.

By the time Durham won the Championship in 2013, Muchall was consigned entirely to one-day duties. He was warned by Durham's coach Jon Lewis that he was likely to be released at the end of 2015, but responded so positively that he topped the averages in both limited-overs competitions and finished third in the Championship list as he enjoyed an unexpected return, leading to a reprieve with a further year's deal.

ESPNcricinfo staff