Di Venuto gets Durham off to solid start
The county cricket season got under way in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, with bat getting the better of pink ball.
Durham won the toss and opted to bat first against MCC, with Australian Michael Di Venuto ensuring there would be no early success for the pink Kookaburra which is being trialled in this fixture.
Durham were 46 for nought after an hour's play, with Di Venuto dominating as he contributed 40 of them to Kyle Coetzer's six.
MCC and the International Cricket Council hope the combination of the brighter ball and floodlights will hold the key to day/night Test cricket, meaning the final session under night skies is likely to be of most interest to the powerbrokers.
Gloucestershire seamer Jon Lewis was handed first use of the much-hyped pink ball, with Middlesex's Tim Murtagh starting at the other end.
Lewis beat the bat with the fourth ball of the match but there was little else to worry the champion county's opening pair.
Di Venuto began positively, finding the boundary three times in the first four overs.
The Australian helped himself to two more in the sixth over as Murtagh strayed, the second a fine off drive.
Di Venuto was having no trouble adjusting to the ball and punched a seventh four off James Middlebrook as MCC skipper Alex Gidman sent on the change bowlers.
MCC star turn Mark Ramprakash was a late omission from the starting XI after flying back to England for personal reasons.
