London, June 18 (IANS) England Test captain Ben Stokes will make his return to competitive cricket for Durham after being named in their 15-member squad for the County Championship match against Northamptonshire beginning at Chester-le-Street near Durham on Friday.

Stokes, along with fast bowler Gus Atkinson, were left out of England’s ongoing second Test against New Zealand at The Oval due to investigations pending into a nightclub incident in London. Both Stokes and Atkinson, however, have been cleared to feature in domestic cricket.

While seam-bowling all-rounder Stokes will line up for Durham at Chester‑le‑Street, Atkinson is expected to be part of Surrey’s squad for their fixture against Glamorgan in Cardiff.

The duo breached England’s midnight curfew while celebrating their 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s and were present in the nightclub when a member of the team’s security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the independent Cricket Regulator are conducting their inquiries. But concerns over Stokes’ future surfaced in the immediate aftermath, with speculation about a possible retirement from international cricket.

Those fears were eased when Stokes, 35, returned to training with Durham, and is now set to play his third county match of the season. In Stokes’ absence, Joe Root has taken charge as England’s Test captain on a ‘game by game’ basis.

England’s third Test against New Zealand begins at Trent Bridge next Thursday, which means clarity on the investigations and availability of Stokes and Atkinson will be required by Monday.

Durham squad: Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, David Bedingham, Graham Clark, Alex Lees, Ben McKinney, James Minto, Duanne Olivier, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes.

–IANS

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