Stokes stars as Durham seize advantage at Derby
Ben Stokes returned to red-ball action and produced an influential all-round contribution on day two of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two fixture at the OurCoop County Ground, Derby, scoring 53 and finishing with 2-14 as Durham set Derbyshire a first-innings deficit. The match moved in Durham’s favour as they were all out for 283 and Derbyshire closed day two on 127-6.
Stokes’s appearance was his first in red-ball cricket since he retired from international duty in June and it attracted a noticeable crowd to the ground. Durham’s 283 featured half-centuries from Alex Lees (63) and Graham Clark (64), while Ben Aitchison’s 5-70 keyed Derbyshire’s bowling effort. At the close Derbyshire (3pts) trailed Durham (3pts) by 156 runs with four first-innings wickets remaining.
Stokes struck 11 fours on his way to 53, reaching his fifty off 56 balls and driving and pulling aggressively at times, including a lofted drive off Brett Randell and a one-knee cover drive. He also edged to the slips earlier in his innings and miscued a follow-through that led to his dismissal by Anuj Dal, having earlier taken a wicket with his first delivery in the Derbyshire reply.
Durham’s innings had been steadied by Clarke and Lees, Clark hitting two sixes in a 57-ball fifty and, with Ollie Robinson, taking the total to 260 before the second new ball altered the contest. Aitchison removed Clark at second slip to end a 78-run stand from 129 balls and then found Robinson’s outside edge as Derbyshire gained the breakthroughs they needed.
Aitchison finished with 5-70, his haul instrumental in restricting the Division Two leaders to 283, and he became the first Derbyshire bowler in 61 years to take five wickets in an innings in four consecutive first-class matches. Earlier in the day he had trapped David Bedingham lbw in the third over, and he also beat Stokes on occasion during Durham’s innings.
Derbyshire’s reply saw early trouble for the openers as pace made life difficult; Harry Came was caught at third slip off Stokes’s first ball of the innings and Brett Randell and Brydon Carse offered little resistance at times. Matthew Potts and Will Rhodes each claimed two wickets, Rhodes inducing Matthew Montgomery (28) into a drive, while Potts removed Martin Andersson for 21 and Brooke Guest for one late in the day.
Stokes briefly left the field after feeling his lower left side at the start of his fifth over but returned before stumps; his match figures read 2-14. Durham had lost their last five wickets for 23 in their second-innings collapse, but the runs posted and the fall of Derbyshire to 127-6 left Durham well positioned.
Derbyshire trail by 156 runs with four first-innings wickets still in hand, leaving the hosts with work to do to erase the deficit and offering Durham the platform to press their promotion ambitions.