Paul Collingwood praises Vic Demain

The 24-year-old all-rounder chose Durham's first Twenty20 final to make his highest score in the format, but it was not enough to lead his side to victory over Northamptonshire.

It came at the end of a week which saw him become the first batsmen to 1,000 runs in this season's County Championship. It is a huge transformation in a player who 12 months ago could not get in Durham's team.

"You just hope a lot of young players look at what Keats has done in terms of preparation and the work he puts in. He really is a model professional and deserves everything he gets.

"We knew the kind of power he had, he just wasn't using it - not at all.

"The Riverside in its history hasn't been an easy place to bat. The ball's seaming and swinging around and you're not making many mistakes but you're still getting out. It's very tough mentally.

"Vic, the groundsman, has made the wickets a lot more cricket-friendly. It gives you confidence as a batsman when you can hit the ball on the up."

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