Ben Stokes takes two for 54 on Durham comeback after cheekbone fracture

WORCESTER, England (AP): England’s Test captain Ben Stokes claimed two wickets while sending down a full 20 overs for Durham yesterday, stepping back onto the field after fracturing a cheekbone in February.

Against Worcestershire in the County Championship’s second tier he ended with 2 for 54. The outing was his first in any form of the game since England met Australia in the fifth and deciding Ashes Test at the start of January.

Stokes underwent surgery after a ball hit him in the face while he worked with young players at Durham’s academy. In an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board last month he said he felt “fortunate to be alive.”

His taking the new ball for Durham and bowling with speed plus familiar seam movement will hearten England before a crowded home summer of Test cricket.

The 34-year-old allrounder could again lead the attack in the opening Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on 4 June. He has opened the bowling twice in the past, though not since facing Pakistan in 2022.

England aim to recover from losing the Ashes 4-1 in Australia and to restore support from the public after a tour marked by off-field discipline issues and sharp criticism of head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key.

After the three-match New Zealand rubber, England face Pakistan in three Tests, with the series beginning at Headingley in Leeds on 19 August.