England Cricket Test captain Ben Stokes set for first Durham appearance in two years

England Test Cricket captain Ben Stokes is set to make his first County Cricket Championship appearance in two years after he was named in the Durham squad to play Lancashire.

The 32-year-old last featured for Durham against Middlesex at Lords in 2022 having played three times that season.

He has sat out the first five matches of the season after taking an extended break following the conclusion of England’s Test tour of India but he has now been included in the 14-man squad for the four-day game at Stanley Park in Blackpool.

“The decision will always be up to Ben Stokes,” Durham head coach Ryan Campbell said. “He has been through everything he needs to go through and we just needed to tick a few boxes with the ECB.

“For us, we always talk about playing against the best players in the competition, but to have one in your own team makes life a whole lot different. It will also lift the blokes. Some of them haven’t played with Ben for years, if at all.

"England cricket needs a fit Ben Stokes and what we see should be pretty impressive.”

Stokes has not played competitively since England's defeat to India in the fifth test in March.

He plans to focus on his red-ball game and a return to all-rounder duties after spending the majority of the past year as a specialist batter.

He opted out of England duty for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States to focus on the County Championships before the start of summer Test series against the West Indies in July.

Durham currently sit fifth in Division One with 61 points following their return to the top flight. Opponents Lancashire have endured a more difficult start to the season and currently sit bottom with 31.

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