Ben Stokes, the former England captain, made a triumphant return to cricket with a match-winning hundred in his first appearance for Durham following his international retirement. Stokes' unbeaten 108, which included 10 boundaries and three sixes, guided Durham to a five-wicket victory over Derbyshire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. Despite struggling with cramp towards the end of his innings, Stokes played a crucial role in Durham's successful chase of 257.
His knock was his 10th List A century and first for Durham since 2014. The achievement comes less than a month after Stokes announced his retirement from England duty during the Test series against New Zealand.
Earlier, Martin Andersson top-scored for Derbyshire with 112, while Stokes went wicketless with the ball, conceding 38 runs from his nine overs. Stokes then joined the crease with Durham in trouble at 24-2 but formed crucial partnerships with Will Rhodes, Colin Ackermann, and Ollie Robinson to propel his team towards victory. When he reached his half-century, Stokes received treatment for cramp on his left leg.
Despite the restriction, he continued to bat aggressively, smashing two sixes off his former England teammate Shoaib Bashir on his way to a 116-ball hundred, securing victory for Durham off the first ball of the final over.