NEW DELHI: England Test captain Ben Stokes made a notable return to the County Championship with Durham, marking his first appearance in two years by taking two wickets on Friday.
Stokes, who is aiming to re-establish himself as a genuine all-rounder for England following knee surgery, dismissed Josh Bohannon and New Zealand's Tom Bruce in a First Division match against Lancashire at Blackpool.
Stokes, 32, ended the opening day with encouraging figures of 2-70 from 17 overs, a positive sign after spending much of last year playing primarily as a specialist batsman.
However, the day belonged to his former Durham teammate Keaton Jennings, who scored 115 runs, including 17 fours, leading Lancashire to a total of 350-9.
Stokes has ruled himself out of England's T20 World Cup title defense in the United States and the Caribbean next month to ensure he can be a fully-fledged all-rounder in Test cricket.
England is set to play six Tests in their 2024 home season, three against the West Indies and three against Sri Lanka, with the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's starting on July 10, just under two weeks after the T20 World Cup final on June 29 in Barbados.
(With AFP inputs)
