Onions with a point to prove

Graham Onions expects to be given more responsibility for Durham during this season

Graham Onions is hoping to become a permanent fixture in Durham’s attack this summer following the retirement of Ottis Gibson.

West Indian Gibson, now England’s bowling coach, claimed 80 LV County Championship wickets as Durham finished second in Division One in 2007 - and was also prolific in one-day cricket.

Competition for places at the Riverside meant Onions was often the odd one out in the bowling selection equation for limited-overs action last summer. But having also proved a resounding success on England Lions’ tour of India, that could now be a thing of the past.

Onions, 25, bagged eight wickets in two Duleep Trophy matches for England’s second string and displayed his threat with the white ball with a seven-wicket haul against a Maharashtra XI in Mumbai.

“It’s good for Durham that there’s a lot of good young seamers coming through,” said Onions.

“In the past couple of years it meant that someone has missed out, and in one-day cricket unfortunately that has often been me.

“But I am putting my hand up for it not to be me any more. That’s what I need to do if I want to get into the England set-up. For Durham I want to be the ‘go-to’ man.”

Despite not being a permanent fixture for Durham, Onions was called up by England for the 2006 home series against Pakistan - without earning a cap.

Ottis Gibson took 80 County Championship wickets last season but is now retired

But he hopes to use another spell in sub-continental conditions productively; in 2006 he built on a solid pre-season in Mumbai, initially with Durham, and then in club matches - to take 50 first-class wickets in the English season.

“Whenever you get wickets it is always great - and so to come out with good figures in India was brilliant,” said Onions, of his most recent Indian jaunt.

“It was just a shame, as a team, we couldn’t come out with one more match-winning performance.

“I have been to India five times, and the conditions are generally testing.

“When I went out with Durham in 2006, I asked to stay on - and that was the starting block for me.

“I came out with Durham and stayed on for a month, played hard cricket and bowled a lot of overs.

“I took 50-odd wickets the next season and I feel as though I have generally progressed since then.

“Every time you go on tour you like to think you have improved, and it is important to feel good about yourself.

“Right now I feel more consistent, stronger and a genuine wicket-taker as well.”

Durham, who finished only four-and-a-half points behind Sussex last September, will be boosted by the presence of England paceman Steve Harmison for the first few weeks of the campaign.

Harmison, one of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s centrally-contracted players, has been freed to play all forms of cricket for his county up to the first npower Test against New Zealand on May 15.

Harmison wreaked havoc at the start of last summer and finished with 32 championship wickets - while Onions claimed 36, and another England international Liam Plunkett took 38.