Ben Stokes returns as Durham name squad for Northamptonshire clash amid nightclub controversy

Durham have named a 15-member squad for their upcoming County Championship fixture against Northamptonshire at the Riverside, with England Test captain Ben Stokes returning to county duty. Stokes is in contention to make his third appearance of the season for Durham and could feature in his first match at Chester-le-Street since 2024.

The all-rounder’s most recent home outing for Durham came against Worcestershire last season, when he impressed with both bat and ball, scoring a half-century in the first innings and claiming three wickets. Head coach Ryan Campbell has otherwise retained an unchanged squad for the clash against Northamptonshire, who currently occupy second place in the Division Two standings.

Durham will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the County Championship campaign. The side has collected four victories and 126 points from its opening seven matches. Batter David Bedingham has been a standout performer, scoring 677 runs to become Division Two’s second-highest run-scorer, while seamer Ben Raine shares top spot on the wicket-taking charts with 36 scalps alongside James Anderson.

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“For us to win in three days [against Derbyshire] is outstanding – it’s shown the evolution of this team, when you talk about us trying to get back to Division One. The graft and the hard work they put in with the bat on a wicket that was tricky after losing the toss and being put in – we sucked up our egos, and every little partnership counted,” said Campbell as quoted by Durham cricket.

“And the way we went about our work with the ball was absolutely outstanding. We had constant pressure from both ends – it was awesome to watch. We’re in a good position but there’s a long way to go, and we’ve got another tough game coming up against Northants. But all I can say to Northants is that they’re coming to our hood,” he added.

Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, David Bedingham, Graham Clark, Alex Lees (C), Ben McKinney, James Minto, Duanne Olivier, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson (WK), Ben Stokes