| LV= County Championship Division Two, New Highway, Worcester (day two) |
| Durham 580-6 dec: Stokes 161, Bedingham 135, Dickson 104; Gibbon 2-94 |
| Worcestershire 169-6: Barnad 55, D'Oliveira 41; Potts 5-36 |
| Worcestershire (1 p) path Durham (7 pts) by 411 with 4 wickets standing |
| Scorecard |
Ben Stokes hit a County Championship document 17 sixes in smashing 161 on his first Durham look of the summer time, at Worcester.
All-rounder Stokes raced to his ton in 64 balls, sharing 220 for the fifth wicket with David Bedingham (135).
The England Take a look at captain introduced up his century – the quickest in first-class cricket by a Durham participant – with 5 successive sixes off Josh Baker.
Durham declared on 580-6 and Worcestershire have been 169-6 at stumps.
Stokes got here to the crease early on the second morning when Scott Borthwick was trapped leg earlier than by Ben Gibbon and, after a gradual begin, produced an superior show of energy hitting.
He went to his hundred along with his tenth six, the final 5 of which got here from the primary 5 balls of an over by sluggish left-armer Baker.
The ultimate ball of the over narrowly did not clear the ropes and went for 4 as 34 runs have been taken off it, and he was 147 not out at lunch.
It's the second time Stokes has hit 5 consecutive sixes in a County Championship sport, having additionally carried out the feat in opposition to Hampshire in 2011.
In reaching his century off 64 balls, the 30-year-old beat the earlier quickest first-class ton in Durham's 30-year historical past, eclipsing Paul Collingwood's earlier mark of 75 deliveries set at Taunton in 2005.
Stokes smashed 15 sixes in complete earlier than the interval at New Highway, in addition to eight fours, as he cruised previous the rating of Bedingham, who resumed the day unbeaten on 69, and helped Durham safe most batting factors.
He added two extra sixes early within the afternoon session to move the 16 hit in a first-class county sport by Andrew Symonds for Gloucestershire in opposition to Glamorgan in 1995 and Graham Napier for Essex in opposition to Surrey in 2011.
Stokes is taking part in within the County Championship for the primary time since July final 12 months when he was unable to complete Durham's sport with Warwickshire after being referred to as as much as captain England of their one-day worldwide sequence in opposition to Pakistan when a wholly new 18-man squad needed to be named due to a Covid outbreak.
He's set to guide England for the primary time since being appointed to succeed Joe Root as Take a look at captain in subsequent month's three-match sequence in opposition to New Zealand.
He was ultimately caught off Brett D'Oliveira and the declaration got here after Bedingham, who contributed 135 to a stand of 220, was dismissed.
Matty Potts then ripped out the Worcestershire prime order with 4 wickets earlier than Ed Barnard (55) and D'Oliveira steadied issues by sharing a partnership of 101.
Stokes bowled 9 overs with out taking a wicket and it was Chris Rushworth, who ultimately eliminated D'Oliveira, earlier than Potts bowled Barnard and dangerous mild ended play 12 overs early.
Potts has figures of 5-36 – the third time he has taken 5 or extra wickets in a first-class innings.
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