In the first match of the 2026 One Day Cup, Durham defeated Derbyshire thanks to an undefeated century from former England Test captain Ben Stokes, who made a comeback to domestic cricket. The left-hander had retired from international cricket at the close of the New Zealand series, and this was his first innings back.
On Tuesday, 21 July, Ben Stokes took the pitch at the County Ground in Derby in front of a small crowd, hinting that he would play domestic cricket for Durham after he retired.
In the first innings, Durham were bowled by Ben Stokes, who gave his team nine overs while handing up just 38 runs. But what really stood out was his batting innings. With his team struggling at 24 for 2 after losing opener Alex Lees, the former England captain left at number four while chasing 257.
Ben Stokes began his innings with patience, but he soon found his rhythm. In the end, the magical batsman helped his team win by five wickets with an undefeated 108 off 123 deliveries. The left-hander struck at 87.80 to chase down the total in the last over, hitting 10 fours and three sixes, including two against his former England teammate Shoaib Bashir.
Ben Stokes and Durham’s historic century
After representing the northern county in the 2014 One Day Cup final at Lord’s, which they ultimately won, Stokes played his first List A match for Durham. Due to his two wickets and undefeated 38 in a low-scoring match, the all-rounder was named Player of the Match.
Ben Stokes’ century against Derbyshire was his first since smashing 108 off 84 balls against the Netherlands at the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and it was his tenth time in his List A career to reach triple digits.
But it was the left-handed hitter’s first List A century for Durham in almost a decade. In August 2014, he scored 103 at Chester-le-Street against Nottinghamshire, marking his final century for the county.
