Campbell backs status quo to work for Durham
Alex Lees played 10 Tests for England in the summer of 2022
- Published
Durham head coach Ryan Campbell believes that the choice not to make any knee-jerk decisions following relegation last season will benefit their promotion efforts in 2026.
They were relegated from Division One on the final day of the 2025 campaign when they were bowled out for just 85 by Yorkshire to go down at the expense of Hampshire.
After coming to terms over the winter with that disappointment and sharing many discussions with director of cricket Marcus North, Campbell and captain Alex Lees remain in place to try to lead a revival.
"Sometimes in cricket, we're guilty of expecting our captains and leaders to just step up and do it," Campbell told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"We need to invest more time and energy into those guys and Alex will be surrounded by a leadership group this year that will help him in every turn and problem that he has.
"We've not sat on our hands in the off-season and said 'We'll be right, mate.' We think we're a better team and we think we're a really good team with Alex Lees as captain."
Last year was Lees' first in the job after replacing Scott Borthwick as he took on running all three formats for Durham. He scored more Championship runs in 2025 than the previous summer, but his average dipped from 46.20 to 41.63.
There was a strong second place in the North Group in the T20 Blast, but he could not prevent his team from failing to win any of their last eight Championship games as they almost sleep-walked their way into relegation.
In 2023, the opening batter smashed five centuries and scored 1,347 runs as Durham won Division Two, and Campbell hopes the north-east county can regain the positive approach they showed that year as they aim for a repeat.
But the pain of relegation will act as a huge motivation as they begin their Division Two campaign at home to Kent on Friday.
"We're not here to hide away from the fact that we messed it up last year," said Campbell. "We have to be better, and we will be.
"That's not going to define us as a group. It was a sad day; we felt for all our fans, and every player and person who works here at Durham has hurt.
"But now it's time to push on. The only thing we can do is make it right, and that's by playing the cricket Durham can produce, which is as exciting as any team you can watch."
