Ben Stokes set for One-Day comeback after 31 months following Test retirement

Former England captain Ben Stokes is set for his comeback to One-Day cricket, a couple of weeks after his retirement from Test cricket, effectively drawing curtains on his international cricket career. Stokes will turn up for Durham in England’s domestic One-Day Cup 2026 which is scheduled to begin on July 21 against Derbyshire.

Stokes, who was embroiled in nightclub controversy, leading to him missing the second Test which England lost by a record-breaking margin to New Zealand. Then, Stokes announced his retirement midway through the third Test.

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When Stokes wasn't considered for the second Test, he had returned to play for Durham in the County Championship Division 2 match against Northamptonshire where he scored 95 runs. He is excited to play white-ball cricket for them.

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"Being back at Durham, when I wasn't playing in the second Test, I found a new lease of life for the game, but unfortunately I just couldn't get that feeling back," said Stokes as quoted by the BBC.

"I'm very excited about the next part of what I get to do. Going back to playing for my boyhood club Durham, I'm comparing this week to that week - right now I am buzzing.”

Stokes hasn’t played a One-Day game since his retirement following early exit from ODI World Cup 2023. His last ODI game was against Pakistan at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where he scored a 76-ball 84. England ended up posting 337/9 and beat Pakistan by 93 runs.

When did Stokes play his last One-Day game for Durham?

The last time Stokes played for Durham was in the final of One-Day Cup 2014. The 23-year-old had helped Durham reach the final with a 164-run knock against Nottinghamshire. That was the last time Durham won the 50-over tournament.

So far, Stokes has played 50 List A games for Durham, scoring 1,416 runs, averaging 34.53, featuring three tons and five half-centuries.

Stokes previous domestic One-Day game

His last domestic cricket appearance was when he played for Canterbury in New Zealand in 2017. He had off time due to his infamous clash outside Bristol nightclub.

Stokes’ List A record (including ODIs)

Stokes has played 184 List A games, scoring 5,303 runs averaging 38.42. He has nine centuries and 30 fifties in the format. Also, his strike rate is an impressive 97.17. With the ball he has 137 wickets in the 50-over format, including one fifer and three four-fers.