Friday 17 March 2017 10:40, UK
The inaugural North-South series begins this week with the first of three 50-over games taking place on Friday.
Preparations are well underway with both sides triumphing in warm-up matches on Wednesday; Ottis Gibson's North saw off Worcestershire while the South, coached by England assistant Paul Farbrace, eased past the United Arab Emirates.
Durham and England paceman Mark Wood impressed in his first appearance since September and will continue to step up his recovery following a stress fracture that saw him undergo surgery on his ankle for the third time in 12 months.
Wood will hope to prove his fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy in June, while his fellow North squad members Ben Duckett, the in-form Liam Livingstone and captain Keaton Jennings will also be looking to bolster their chances of an international call-up.
In Steven Finn, Liam Dawson and Tom Curran, the South boast three members of England's ODI squad from the successful tour of the West Indies and captain James Vince is no stranger to the international arena, either.
The performance of Hampshire's Mason Crane is sure to garner plenty of interest with the leg-spinner fresh from a productive Sheffield Shield debut for New South Wales.
Friday's opener is followed by a day-night clash on Sunday with the third and final game taking place at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium next Tuesday.
North: Keaton Jennings (Durham, capt), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire, wk), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Jack Leaning (Yorkshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Josh Poysden (Warwickshire), Graeme White (Northamptonshire), Mark Wood (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Paul Coughlin (Durham), Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire).
South: James Vince (Hampshire, capt), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Tom Alsop (Hampshire), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Sam Northeast (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey, wk), Tom Curran (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Tim Groenewald (Somerset), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Mason Crane (Hampshire).
