Stokes added to Durham squad for Friday’s T20 Blast quarter-final

This comes after Ben Stokes had originally been made unavailable due to a slight knee niggle sustained while on England duty. The 27-year-old has been selected in the squad as a batsman-only with a view to managing his fitness

^{Ben Stokes is now available to play for Durham on Friday}

Durham have made England allrounder Ben Stokes available for his county’s crucial T20 Blast quarter-final at home to Sussex on Friday.

This comes after Stokes had originally been made unavailable due to a slight knee niggle sustained while on England duty.

The 27-year-old has been selected in the squad as a batsman-only with a view to managing his fitness.

Durham stated on their website: “Stokes was initially ruled out of contention due to a left knee niggle but has been re-assessed & the England medical team, in conjunction with Durham, have passed him fit to play as a specialist batsman."

Stokes took a full part in England’s 203-run defeat to India this week at Trent Bridge, bowling 35 overs across two innings and taking two wickets. The allrounder also scored 10 in the first innings and compiled a rugged 62 runs from 187 balls in partnership with Jos Buttler on Tuesday.

Durham Jets face Sussex Sharks in the second T20 Blast quarter-final on Friday with a place at Finals Day on 15 September on the line.