DURHAM skipper Paul Collingwood admitted after Durham's heavy defeat at Lord's yesterday that the threat of players leaving is not helping.

“I think it has affected us all season and I'd be lying if I said it hadn't,” he said. “I hope Scott Borthwick is close to making a decision and for Durham's sake that it's a positive one.

“When you have that sort of thing playing on your mind it saps a lot of mental energy out of you.

“The reason for coming into first-class cricket was for North-East lads to have the chance to fulfil their dreams on home soil and we want every single person in the dressing room to have the desire and heart to keep playing for the team.”

Durham have taken five points from two successive away defeats inside three days on pitches prepared to suit home spinners.

Collingwood defended his decision to bat first at Lord's saying: “We missed a huge opportunity. We had the best of the conditions but did not have the desire to get through the hard periods and score big runs.

“We scored 200 on the first day and 250 on the third when the pitch deteriorated rapidly. It was up and down and turned a lot.

“We also missed opportunities in the field. The stand between Compton and Gubbins hit us hard and we could have had them both early on.

“I don't think it was any kind of hangover from Wednesday's T20 quarter-final. For whatever reason, we just didn't take our chances and it reflects badly on the bowlers, who did a superb job.

“There were a lot of close lbw decisions and on a different day we could have had them out for 300. Mark Wood is feeling strong and bowling well, and all the bowlers stuck to it really well.

“It's been a frustrating game, but I take nothing away from Middlesex. They completely outplayed us.”