Ben Stokes struck with his eighth delivery on county return for Durham.
Ben Stokes marks county return after two years with wicket in second over
Playing his first County Championship match since 2024, Stokes opened the bowling for Durham against Worcestershire alongside Ben Raine. He had Daniel Lategan caught behind with the second delivery of his second over, and finished with his first spell with figures of 1-14 in four overs.
Stokes’s last professional outing was in the fifth Test of the Ashes in Sydney in January this year. He suffered a facial injury, getting hit in the face by a cricket ball during a net session at Durham in February, and had to undergo surgery, which delayed his return to competitive cricket.
His last County Championship outing had also come against Worcestershire in the 2024 season, when he scored a half-century and took three wickets in the match. Stokes featured in 18 Tests between his last two county appearances.
Over at the County Ground in Worcester, Lategan’s dismissal reduced Worcestershire to 15-1, which became 15-2 as Raine removed Jake Libby in the next over. He also had Gareth Roderick caught and bowled to further their misery, while Luke Robinson dismissed a dangerous-looking Kashif Ali as Worcestershire went down to 52-4. They were 56-4 in the first session at the time of writing.
Match 40, Worcestershire vs Durham
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- Ball by ball Over
Durham currently lead the Division Two table, with two wins and two draws in four matches. They have 71 points, six more than second-placed Northamptonshire. Worcestershire, meanwhile, are fourth with 55 points.
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