Ben Stokes wasted no time making his presence felt on his long-awaited return to the cricket field. The England captain needed just eight deliveries to claim his first wicket, marking a triumphant comeback in Durham's County Championship clash against Worcestershire at New Road.
Opening the bowling for the first time in only his fifth first-class career, Stokes struck early by having Worcestershire opener Dan Lategan caught behind. The dismissal came off the second ball of his second over, sending a clear message that the all-rounder hadn't lost his edge during his time away from the game.
The truncated opening day saw just 66 overs of play due to rain interruptions, but Stokes made the most of every opportunity. After an hour-long rain delay, he returned to the attack and delivered a stunning ball that bowled Adam Hose for 59, rushing through the batsman's defence with his very first delivery back on the field.
Stokes ended the day with impressive figures of 2-40 from 14 overs, bowling in three spells that showcased his trademark energy and determination. His performance helped reduce Worcestershire to 52-4 before a recovery led by Hose and captain Brett D'Oliveira (41) pushed the home side to 209-7 at stumps.
This comeback has been a long time coming for the 34-year-old, who hasn't played since England's disappointing 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia back in January. His return was delayed by a quad injury suffered in the final Test Down Under, followed by a horrific broken cheekbone sustained while coaching the Durham academy. Stokes underwent what he described as "pretty major facial surgery" and admitted he felt "lucky" to still be alive after the incident.
Missing Durham's first four matches of the season, Stokes had targeted this fixture at New Road as his perfect warm-up ahead of England's first Test against New Zealand, beginning on June 4. It's a ground that holds special significance for the captain—his last match for Durham almost two years ago was against the same opponents, and his first match after being named Test captain in 2022 also took place here.
With fellow England star Matthew Potts rested due to a heavy early-season workload, Stokes stepped up to lead the attack, proving that even after a challenging few months, his competitive fire burns as brightly as ever.