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.
