Nervous wait: Ben Stokes has undergone a scan on his knee injury picked up in the Caribbean
(Picture: Getty Images)Ben Stokes’ county schedule with Durham at the start of the season will not be determined until he receives the results of a scan on a knee injury this week.
Stokes suffered pain in his knee during England’s tour of the Caribbean, on which he bowled 99 overs across three Tests, many more than was expected before the series. He had arrived still recovering from a side strain suffered bowling during the Ashes.
Having opted out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Stokes was expected to play a couple of County Championship matches with Durham before England return to action in a Test series against New Zealand from June 2.
Durham have seven Championship matches in seven weeks from Thursday, but Stokes’ involvement in them will not be decided until the results of the scan are back.
“The knee problem I had in the Caribbean, I’m getting that scanned next week, so can’t make any plans until we know what’s going on there,” Stokes said on his podcast Round The Wicket, recorded on his return from the tour.
“At the moment I’m not training until we find out what’s going on.”
Chris Woakes is also expected to take his time returning to action with Warwickshire following a bruising tour on which he took five wickets in 94 overs.
At 33, Woakes has had chronic knee issues for some years and, along with Jonny Bairstow, was the only player to appear throughout England’s winter in the T20 World Cup, Ashes and West Indies tour.
