England captain Ben Stokes will miss Durham's upcoming County Championship match as he continues recovering from surgery on a broken cheekbone. The all-rounder has been sidelined since England's disappointing Ashes series in Australia, where he also suffered an adductor injury during the final Test in Sydney.

Stokes was expected to play for Durham in the early rounds of the County Championship as competition intensifies for spots in the Test XI. Despite England's 4-1 Ashes defeat, he has retained the captaincy while coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key have kept their positions. Stokes described the past three months as 'the hardest period' of his England captaincy but remains committed to the team's future.

Durham's director of cricket Marcus Campbell revealed Stokes is training intensely to return to fitness and plans to play in the One-Day Cup this summer. This would provide valuable cricket between Test series, as England faces New Zealand through June before a three-Test series against Pakistan begins August 19. The 50-over competition runs alongside The Hundred, though Stokes has opted out of the latter format.