WHO to drop in order to accommodate overseas all-rounder Andrew Hall?

That's the selection quandary facing Kent skipper Rob Key this morning ahead of his side's LV Championship clash with Durham in Chester-le-Street.

After five successive wins in all cricket, Kent headed north in good spirits for their third game of the Liverpool Victoria Campaign.

With Min Patel and Martin Saggers still injured, Hall's arrival is a timely one and he looks certain to play in the north east. But just who the South African replaces will be decided once Key has sampled conditions and seen the Riverside pitch.

Seamer friendly conditions might tempt Key, knowing he has part-time spinners Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld to fall back on, to go into the game without specialist off-spinner James Tredwell.

Key's other option, and the more likely one when it comes down to the balance of the side, would be to keep Tredwell on board and jettison one of two seamers; Simon Cook or Robbie Joseph.

Whatever the choice, Key will know the next four days represent a severe test of his side's recent turn around in results.

Since losing their opening two games of the summer, Key and Co. have gradually picked up their form culminating in back-to-back Friends Provident Trophy wins over Essex and Middlesex over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The two sides go into Wednesday's game with identical four-day records, with Durham seventh on alphabetical order to Kent in eighth, both having won once in two outings and having lost their other game.

In Kent's case, they lost to Sussex at Hove only to beat them inside two days in Canterbury, while Durham , who have yet to play a four-day game at home in 2007, beat Worcestershire at New Road by 241 runs only to slip to a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Yorkshire at Headingley.

Kent will be hoping to improve on last season's performances against Durham in what will be the 14th championship clash between these counties.

In 2006 Kent lost by an innings and 56 runs in Canterbury and looked to be heading for another pasting in Stockton-on-Tees until remarkable innings by Darren Stevens (70) and Justin Kemp (118) turned the game on its head.

Needing 364 to win, Durham capitulated to lose by 95-runs on a rapidly deteriorating wicket that eventually led to a post-match pitch panel.

Of the 13 games to date, Kent have won eight, drawn three and have lost only twice.

Durham, however, have been buoyed by the return of England trio Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett and Paul Collingwood and their 57-run trophy win over Lancashire at the Riverside on Monday takes them into the game in good heart.

Kent from: Rob Key, Joe Denly, Martin van Jaarsveld, Matt Walker, Darren Stevens, Geraint Jones, Andrew Hall, Yasir Arafat, Ryan McLaren, James Tredwell, Simon Cook and Robbie Joseph.