Stokes set for County Championship return against Middlesex

After a break of two months, England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes is all set to return to professional cricket. The 32-year old will take the field in Durham's next 2024 County Championship fixture, against Lancashire, starting on Friday (May 17). It will also mark Stokes’ return to the County Championship after two years. 

While most of the England players will be gearing up for the T20 World Cup, Stokes would focus on getting ready for the Test summer post the silverware event in the West Indies and USA. The four-day Division One match will take place at Stanley Park in Blackpool.

"I suggest if you've got a few days over the weekend, you get yourself down to Blackpool to watch the great Ben Stokes' return for Durham," said the county's head coach Ryan Campbell.

England last played Test cricket during the five-Test series in India in February and March. Stokes led the team despite a knee injury, although his performance with the bat was underpar. Prior to the series, the all-rounder had withdrawn his name from the ongoing Indian Premier League where he was supposed to represent Chennai Super Kings. 

In his last appearance for Durhan in the County Championship in May 2022, Stokes hammered a memorable 161 off 88 balls against Middlesex, including 17 sixes, a record for most sixes in an innings in the tournament's history. 

England's first Test against the West Indies begins at Lord's on 10 July. 

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