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3rd March 2017

International round-up: Stokes begins in WI

The bulk of Durham’s squad are now back at Emirates Riverside, training intensely ahead of the new season getting underway in just over one months’ time.

The indoor nets have been a hive of activity this week as the squad start to put the finishing touches on the winter work ahead of what is the longest county season on record, starting in the second week of April and finishing in the final one of September.

Some of the players are currently engaged in activity elsewhere, with international duties calling before the first competitive match against Nottinghamshire on Friday, 7 April.

 

Ben Stokes is currently playing in the One-Day International series against the West Indies, with the first match in a three-game series now underway at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in Antigua.

It is the final leg of a busy international winter for Stokes following respective tours of Bangladesh and India.

The series gives England another chance to fine tune their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy mid-way through the summer.

Follow Stokes’ progress today here via Cricinfo’s live scorecard or watch via Sky Sports.

Durham team mate Keaton Jennings is currently captaining England’s Lions side on their tour of Sri Lanka.

 

After a drawn ‘Test’ series over two matches, Jennings made a top-score of 64 in the first unofficial ODI yesterday in Dambulla but the Lions dropped to a 47-run defeat.

The second game in the five-match series takes place at the same venue tomorrow before the left-hander flies to Dubai to captain the North side in the inaugural North vs South series, where he will be accompanied by Mark Wood & Paul Coughlin.

The club’s two overseas players for the 2017 season, Stephen Cook & Tom Latham, are preparing to face off against each other in the upcoming Test series in New Zealand.

The hosts play South Africa across three matches which begins on Wednesday, 8 March at Dunedin.

Both players will be expected to feature at the top of the order and should give Durham fans a taster of what to expect when they arrive at Emirates Riverside.

The current ODI series between the sides is tied at 2-2, although Latham did not feature in the previous match.

 

Finally, Irish seamer Barry McCarthy is away with the national side in Dubai, where they are warming up for a three-format series against Afghanistan in Greater Noida, India.

In the midst of a training camp, they are taking on the United Arab Emirates across two ODI’s at the ICC Academy before flying to India.

McCarthy did not feature in the first of those matches, where Ireland won by 85 runs, but will hope to be selected for the second match tomorrow.