Ben Stokes set to miss opening rounds of County Championship but on track in recovery

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England captain Ben Stokes will play no part in the early stages of the county season, but Durham head coach Ryan Campbell says the all-rounder is “working his butt off” to be back at full tilt this summer.

Stokes is making good progress in his comeback from hamstring surgery after breaking down in New Zealand just before Christmas, his second hamstring tear in five months, and has been making frequent trips to Chester-le-Street to work on his rehabilitation.

He was there again on Monday, sitting out the club’s preseason team photos but running shuttles on the outfield alongside a fitness coach.

Stokes has kept followers updated on his recovery with a handful of narrated videos on Instagram, but, with the Rothesay County Championship kicking off on Friday, he is not yet ready for action.

Campbell, who is also without England quicks Brydon Carse (toe) and Mark Wood (knee), made it clear no risks would be taken.

“When you look at Carse, Stokes and Wood, at this stage they’re probably not likely to play for us. My expectation is that it’ll be zero – anything else is an added bonus,” he said.

“They’re all coming back from serious injuries. The facts are that they need to get up and running by the time the Test matches start.

“But what we know about Stokesy is that he’s here nearly every single day working his butt off. The guy had hamstring surgery and was in the next day lifting weights, which I couldn’t believe. He sets the bar, wherever he is.

open image in gallery England captain Ben Stokes injured himself in New Zealand ( AP )

“He’s such a hard-working bloke and he’ll do whatever it takes to be up and running for England, which is really exciting for England fans. For Durham fans, if he happens to play a game or two along the way, great. If he doesn’t, I know he’ll be checking the scores and ringing me to tell me what we should and shouldn’t be doing.”

Campbell has also pledged to throw a protective arm around Carse, who enjoyed a breakout winter with the Test team. In five games on the winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand he took 27 wickets at 19.85 and already looks a vital component of England’s plans to take down India at home and Ashes rivals Australia Down Under in the next nine months.

“I think Brydon Carse is probably the number one priority for England right now,” he said.

open image in gallery Brydon Carse enjoyed a fine winter but is now recovering from injury ( PA Wire )

“With what he’s shown in Test cricket, he’s born for that sort of stuff. There’s 11 Tests over the summer and winter, and I think he’s going to be number one on England’s list to make sure that he’s ready to go for that.

“Does that mean he’s going to play for us? I’m not so sure. But like I’ve said a million times, he’s down here because he loves being here. This is his club.

“We’ve known about his foot problems for a year now. It’s not new, but he needs to get it right if he’s going to be playing a lot of Test cricket.”

PA

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