Ben Stokes set to return to the field in T20 Blast 2021 after recovering from injury
Ben Stokes appears to have fully recovered from the finger injury he sustained during the first phase of IPL 2021 as the English all-rounder has joined the Durham squad ahead of their T20 Blast match against the Birmingham Bears.
Durham Cricket posted a photo from Ben Stokes' training session ahead of their fixture versus Birmingham, scheduled to happen tomorrow. The 30-year-old looks ready to trouble the opposition with his all-round skills.
"Welcome back to the squad, Stokesy," Durham Cricket posted on Twitter.
Ben Stokes has been away from the cricket field since April 12. He played his last game for the Rajasthan Royals in the first phase of IPL 2021. In that fixture, Stokes injured his finger while taking Chris Gayle's catch in the deep.
Although the English player batted for Rajasthan in the second innings of that match against the Punjab Kings, he could not play the subsequent matches because of his finger injury.
The second phase of IPL 2021 will happen in September and October, but Ben Stokes is unlikely to participate because the England team will play international cricket during the same window.
Can Ben Stokes take Durham to the top of the North Group points table in T20 Blast 2021?
Durham currently holds third position in the North Group standings of the T20 Blast 2021. The team has seven points to its name in five matches. Only Birmingham and Yorkshire are ahead of Durham in the table.
But Durham has a chance to attain the top spot. If Durham wins its next fixture against Birmingham, the team could rise to the pole of the points table. Birmingham Bears have nine points from six matches at the moment.
It will be interesting to see if Ben Stokes can help his county team reach the top of the North Group standings.