Overview
- England captain Ben Stokes, who broke a cheekbone in February, completed 20 overs for Durham on Saturday and returned 2-54 against Worcestershire.
- The 34-year-old opened the attack and looked sharp, finding pace and movement after striking with his eighth ball on Friday in his first spell back.
- Durham planned to manage his load at roughly 20 to 25 overs for the match and used him with the new ball to cover for absent seamers Matthew Potts and Kemar Roach.
- His display revives talk of him as a new-ball option for England, who have lacked a settled opener since James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes retired.
- Durham director Marcus North is expected to become England’s national selector, a reported move that could shape seam-bowling picks for the home series against New Zealand and Pakistan.