Ben Raine, a combative seam-bowling allrounder, returned to Durham at the end of the 2018 season, five years after leaving them in search of greater opportunities. In the meantime, he had progressed well and had attracted interest from several other counties before leaving Leicestershire to go back to the northeast for personal reasons. Durham were no longer the powerful county he had known when he departed and his return gave them a considerable boost.

Nothing sharpened the appetite of potential suitors more than his maiden county hundred - the second-fastest T20 century by an Englishman at the time - as he reached 100 from just 41 balls against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in the Blast. He finished with 113 from 46 balls with eight fours and ten sixes.

Raine, Sunderland born and a former England Under-19, quickly settled back in at the Riverside, finishing behind only Chris Rushworth with 54 Championship wickets for the 2019 season, as well as recording his two highest first-class scores. He had previously made two appearances for Durham in 2011, including a first-class debut against the Sri Lankan tourists, having spent four years at the Durham academy.

He made his Championship debut for Leicestershire at Glamorgan in 2013 and collected four wickets. He then advertised his all-round qualities with a career-best 72 against the eventual Division Two champions, Lancashire.

He had a breakthrough season in 2015 when he took 59 Championship wickets, as well as striking more than 500 runs, and was one of the players most capable of rallying spirits as Leicestershire headed towards a third successive bottom-placed finish. His coach Andrew McDonald predicted better things to come in 2016, only for Leicestershire to improve but Raine himself to mark time. Instead that improvement came in 2017 as he took 51 Division Two wickets at 22.47 and upped his reputation as a dangerous T20 hitter.
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