Ben Stokes, the captain of the England Test team, took two wickets on Friday to mark his first County Championship appearance for Durham in two years.
In his first Championship match back after knee surgery, Stokes, who hopes to play as a true all-rounder for England again this season, dismissed Tom Bruce of New Zealand and Josh Bohannon, the captain of the second-string England Lions, at Blackpool’s First Division match.
Active medium-pacer Stokes, who spent the majority of last year as a specialist batsman, concluded the first day of four with promising figures of 2-70 from 17 overs.
However, it was Keaton Jennings, his former Durham teammate, who stole the show at Blackpool. The former England opener scored 115, including 17 fours, as Lancashire amassed 350-9.
To ensure that he can be chosen as a full-fledged all-rounder in Test cricket, Stokes (32) has ruled himself out of England’s T20 World Cup title defence in the West Indies and USA next month.
In their 2024 home season, England is scheduled to play six Test matches, three against Sri Lanka and three against the West Indies.
Less than two weeks after the 29 June T20 World Cup final in Barbados, the first Test match between the West Indies and Lord’s begins on July 10.
