England All-rounder Ben Stokes is the dangerman this Friday as Derbyshire Falcons prepare for the visit of Durham Jets in the NatWest T20 Blast; 7pm start.
The England & Wales Cricket Board has made all England players available for this weekend’s round of NatWest T20 Blast fixtures, meaning the all-rounder is able to feature for Durham at The 3aaa County Ground on Friday night.
The Falcons will have to contend with one of world cricket’s most in-form players as they look to record back-to-back triumphs following their impressive five-wicket victory over Lancashire Lightning last time out at Derby.
The 23-year-old claimed the Man of the Match award in last week’s Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. He produced an all-round performance akin to England greats Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff, hitting a quickfire 92 in the first innings, before scoring the fastest ever Test century at Lord’s off just 85 balls in the second innings.
He wasn’t finished there as Stokes then starred with the ball to claimed 3-38, including two in as many balls to remove Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum, to help seal a famous victory for his country.
Stokes, an aggressive middle-order batsman who is equally adept with the ball often reaching 90mph, is a particularly dangerous opponent in Twenty20 cricket, notching up nearly 1,000 runs in just 54 matches with a superb strike rate of 131.40, as well as taking 22 wickets.
Since making his ODI debut against Ireland in August 2011, Stokes has drifted in and out of the England set up but rose to prominence by hitting a century for England at Perth in the 2013-14 Ashes series. His recent performances suggest that he’s now secured his place in the England line-up for years to come.
Derbyshire are back in NatWest T20 Blast action next Friday (5 June) when they welcome Durham, featuring Ben Stokes, to The 3aaa County Ground.
