Ben Stokes to balance county commitments with franchise cricket: Details
What's the story
Former England Test captain Ben Stokes is likely to balance his county commitments with global franchise cricket, according to Durham coach Ryan Campbell. After retiring from international cricket, the star all-rounder bolstered Durham by scoring an unbeaten century in the One-Day Cup match against Derbyshire on Tuesday. Stokes earlier made his final international appearance for England against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Career trajectory
Stokes to play for Durham before exploring franchise league options
Stokes, 35, has previously played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League (BBL) but hasn't participated in any overseas franchise cricket since 2023.
Despite his retirement from Test cricket, he remains keen on playing for Durham in most of their remaining matches this season.
The all-rounder has also expressed interest in exploring opportunities in international franchise leagues.
Game plan
Campbell reveals plan for Stokes's return
Campbell revealed his strategy for Stokes's return to the team.
He said, "He is now a retired Test superstar who has reported back for duty for Durham, so we will basically plot a course that will involve playing in the One-Day Cup and playing as many of the six four-day matches."
He further added, "We're obviously going to keep an eye on him if his loads are going through the roof but he's tough."
Inspirational role
Stokes's influence on younger players
Campbell also highlighted the impact of Stokes on younger players in the team.
He said, "He was talking about remembering when he was 17 or 18 getting into the Durham team, and he'd have some England players playing against him or in the same team."
The coach added that Stokes wants young players to feel the same way he did when Paul Collingwood returned to play for Durham.
Retirement
Much-awaited return to domestic cricket
Before the latest encounter, Stokes last played for Durham during the One-Day Cup final win over Warwickshire in 2014.
He has also been absent from all forms of 50-over cricket since England's match against Pakistan at the 2023 ICC World Cup in India.
His return to county cricket was a much-awaited event, especially after he decided to retire from international cricket following England's 1-2 Test series loss against New Zealand last month.
Numbers
A look at his List A numbers
In Derby, Stokes raced to his 10th hundred across 185 List A games. He also owns 30 half-centuries, as per Cricinfo.
The southpaw now has 5,411 List A runs at an average of 38-plus. His tally also includes 137 wickets at 33-plus.
Notably, 3,463 of his runs have come across 114 ODIs for England at an average of 41.22 (100s: 5 and 50s: 24).