Cricket: Success may be harmful to Cook; Commentary.

Byline: Luke Edwards 

DURHAM enjoyed a moment to toast their success last night at their annual awards dinner in Newcastle, but as the champagne fizzed, the smiles beamed and the wine flowed in celebration of a remarkable season, is there trouble ahead at the Riverside?

For those who have forgotten - or stupidly ignored - Durham's achievements this summer, they are without question the region's most successful team.

In August, Durham won their first major trophy with a comprehensive victory over Hampshire in the final of the Friends Provident Trophy at Lord's. A few weeks later, they were crowned champions of the Natwest Pro40 League Second Division and, in September, finished as runners-up in the Liverpool Victoria County Championship in a title race which went down to the last game of the season.

Under new coach Geoff Cook and respected captain Dale Benkenstein, Durham have played some thrilling cricket with a squad which skillfully combines experienced internationals with hungry young local talent.

Three years ago, Durham were little more than a laughing stock as perennial wooden spoon candidates in the Championship and a reputation that was little better in limited overs cricket. This year, after two seasons of rapid improvement, they are a club apparently ready to dominate domestic cricket for years to come.

However, at the same time as they congratulate themselves on the progress made and look forward with excitement to what next season could bring, are Durham going to become a victim of their own success?

It is one of the strange quirks of cricket that counties are, in effect, punished for developing talented English players for the national team. Durham, though, have provided more players for England in the last two years than any other county, as well as the skipper of the one-day side.

In that time, Paul Collingwood, Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett, Graham Onions and, most recently, wicket-keeper Phil Mustard have been selected for international duty.

Durham saw Collingwood play in their colours twice this year, Harmison managed a handful of games because of Test duty and injuries, while Plunkett was sent back to Chester-le-Street looking like a pale shadow of the bowler who had made such a magnificent impact when he first broke into the first team.

It took Durham's staff months to rebuild the 22-year-old's shattered confidence.

Onions has been forgotten by England's selectors - and appeared to suffer a confidence and form dip as a result - and despite Durham's public show of support for Mustard's call-up for England's current one-day series in Sri Lanka, privately his county are concerned at what might happen to their wicket-keeper if he is savaged on the international stage in the same way as Plunkett.

On the flip side, if he succeeds, Durham will be lucky to see Mustard at all next year. In fact, given Durham's success in identifying and developing local talent - all of the above were born and raised in the North-East - Cook could have to rebuild half his team next year if England's selectors swoop.

That, unfortunately, is the way it is in a sport where the health and vitality of the game is measured on the success of the national side. But there could be other causes for concern.

The 38-year-old Ottis Gibson has enjoyed a fairytale season with bat and ball, but will he be around next year now that he is in line to become England's new bowling coach?

Gibson is in Sri Lanka with Collingwood and Mustard and is the favourite to become the new full-time coach after Allan Donald turned down the job, and that could deprive Durham of last season's best player.

The potential problems, however, do not end there for Cook and Benkenste in.

Michael Di Venuto, who scored more than 1,000 runs at the top of the order, despite missing a chunk of the season with a hand injury, has still not decided whether he will return next season or remain in Tasmania.

The Aussie will not give an answer until the New Year and Durham still do not know whether they will be able sign him as a Kolpak player. Di Venuto has an Italian father and qualifies for an EU passport which, if he accepts, will allow Durham to sign another overseas player. That player is likely to be Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but with Durham still waiting for Di Venuto's decision, he could go elsewhere.

For now, Cook and his players should be allowed to reflect on the best season in the county's history, but the future remains alarmingly uncertain.

Durham either stand on the edge of an exciting new era or they should be preparing for a major rebuilding project. The contrasts are obvious.