ALEX GIDMAN will captain the MCC against Durham in the domestic cricket season’s curtain-raiser at the end of March.

The Gloucestershire skipper will be joined by county team-mate, Steve Kirby, to face the reigning county champions in a historic match in Abu Dhabi.

The pair will be part of an experiment as the pink cricket ball will make its first class debut and the game will be played under floodlights with white clothing.

Gidman said: “I was delighted to be invited to play in this match, and to be asked to be captain is a huge privilege.

“My family have strong ties with MCC, and both myself and my brother Will spent time as MCC Young Cricketers, so I cannot wait to lead out the MCC team in such an historic fixture.

“Using pink balls under lights in a four-day, first-class match promises to be a very interesting experiment and certainly something that every player will be looking forward to being a part of.”

Head of cricket at the MCC, John Stevenson said: "From speaking to our players in recent weeks, it's clear there is a passion to play in this game; not only so they can kick-start their season but because they feel they can contribute to our wider research for the good of the game."

The four-day match takes place from March 29 to April 1 and is being played away from Lord’s for the first time.

The MCC XI features three England Test players - Mark Ramprakash, Chris Tremlett and James Foster, who is named in the side for the third successive year.