Stokes strikes after eight balls on comeback

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, New Road, Worcester (day one)

Worcestershire 209-7: Hose 59, D’Oliveira 41; Raine 3-47, Stokes 2-40

Durham: Yet to bat

Match scorecard

Ben Stokes needed only eight deliveries to take a wicket in his first action since England’s dismal Ashes tour on the opening day of Durham’s County Championship match at Worcestershire.

Opening the bowling, the England captain had Worcestershire opener Dan Lategan caught behind from the second ball of his second over.

Later, with his first delivery after an hour-long break for rain, Stokes rushed through the defence of Adam Hose, who was bowled for 59.

Playing for the first time since the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January, Stokes bowled two spells of four overs and one of six – the latter either side of what was the second rain break of the day.

Overall, the all-rounder ended with figures of 2-40 from his 14 overs as Worcestershire reached 209-7 from the 66 overs that were possible.

That represented a recovery from 52-4 thanks to Hose and 41 by skipper Brett D’Oliveira.

Stokes was struck by a quad injury in the final Test of England’s 4-1 defeat in Australia.

On his return to the UK, the 34-year-old then suffered a horrific broken cheek when he was hit by a ball while coaching the Durham academy.

He required what he described as “pretty major facial surgery” and said he felt “lucky” to still be alive.

Stokes missed Durham’s first four matches of the season as he recovered, and had long identified the trip to New Road as his first action of the season in the build-up to England’s first Test against New Zealand, beginning on 4 June.

Stokes’ last match for Durham came almost two years ago against the same opponents, while his first match after being made Test captain in 2022 also came on this ground.

On this occasion, with fellow England international Matthew Potts rested after a heavy early season workload, Stokes was required to take the new ball for only the fifth time in his first-class career.

Looking lean and with a spring in his approach to the crease, Stokes immediately bowled with pace and extracted bounce from an encouraging surface.

Two balls into his second over, Stokes enticed left-hander Lategan to push at a back-of-a-length delivery outside the off stump, with a healthy edge held by wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson.

At the other end, Ben Raine had Jake Libby caught at second slip, then took a catch in his follow-through after Gareth Roderick edged on to his own pad. When Kashif Ali slapped Luke Robinson to cover, Worcestershire were in danger of imploding.

But Hose and D’Oliveira tucked into the expensive Kasey Aldridge as the home side rebuilt either side of the lunch break. Hose was dropped on 28 by Aldridge at second slip off the bowling of Raine.

Stokes bowled his second spell in the period up to lunch, showing frustration at himself when he drifted on to the pads of Hose to be clipped for four.

As Worcestershire built momentum in the hour after the interval, Stokes went unused – a sign of the dilemma faced by Durham when their opening bowler is being carefully managed.

The first rain interruption sent the players from the field for almost two hours. When they returned, Stokes was back into the attack but managed only five balls before rain arrived once more.

On the resumption, Stokes struck immediately. Hose looked late on one that crashed into the stumps, with Stokes wheeling away in celebration.

Some have touted Stokes as a new-ball option for England, especially as he is usually the most likely bowler in the Test attack to find movement through the air.

The captain has been reluctant to push himself as an opening bowler – only once in his 42 Tests as skipper has he opened the bowling.

New-ball duties for the first Test against New Zealand could be up for grabs, with England’s pace options depleted.

Jofra Archer may not be ready after his stint at the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Brydon Carse has a broken wrist.

Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson seem certain to be in the squad, joined by two or three other specialist seamers.

Ollie Robinson’s exile could be ended, or Sam Cook may be given the opportunity to add to his one Test cap. Potts and Matthew Fisher were both in the Ashes squad, while Sonny Baker has a central contract and has enjoyed an impressive start to the season.

The decision over the attack will be made in part by Marcus North, who is set to leave his post as Durham director of cricket to become England’s new national selector. The Australian was not at New Road on Friday.