All-rounder Ben Stokes, who is sitting out of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand due to injury but will be a key player in England's five-Test series against India in August-September, is likely to resume competitive cricket with a T20 Blast game for Durham next week.

"Details of Stokes's comeback are yet to be confirmed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and he could target one of the back-to-back 2nd XI T20s against Lancashire on June 14, but Durham have four fixtures in the Blast from June 15-20 and he is likely to return in one of them," said a report in espncricinfo.com.

 

This will be Stokes's first T20 Blast game in three years. Other England players like Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid will also appear in the T20 tournament for the first time in many years.  

 

The 30-year-old Stokes had to pull out of Indian Premier League (IPL) before its suspension after a fracture to his left index finger. He underwent a surgery for it.

 

Stokes had, last week, written in his Daily Mirror column that he has been recovering well. 

 

"I am able to bowl, I am able to get in the gym and I am able to hit some balls again so I am at an exciting point of my recovery where full-on training is not that far away and then I can start thinking about playing in a match again," said the hero of the 2019 World Cup final who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. 

 

"It is still too early to say exactly when I will be back for Durham, but I have had a good start," he had written further.