Stokes marks ‘great opportunity’ for England's Test hopefuls

As England prepare for a much-anticipated home summer, Test captain Ben Stokes has outlined the ongoing domestic red-ball season as the pathway for an England call-up.

"I think it's a great opportunity for a lot of people around the country," Stokes said on the County Championship season.

"Obviously, we had the Lions in Australia at the same time as we were, so you look at some of the players that are coming through that system at the moment.

"The talent that we have in England is just unquestionable. The pool of players, the talent that we have, it's probably as good as it's been in a very long time,” he added.

Stokes was expected to feature for Durham in the County Championship but is currently recuperating from a broken cheekbone, which he sustained while assisting in the nets back in February. The England all-rounder is expected to be back in action by May.

"The first six or seven weeks of Championship cricket, I think it's going to be a very big one and people should use that as an opportunity to push their case as far forward as they possibly can and I hope they're giving themselves the best chance of coming up for selection when we get together to do that," Stokes said.

The 34-year-old had last featured for England in January, when the visitors were trumped 4-1 by Australia in the Ashes Down Under.

England currently sit seventh in the ICC World Test Championship Standings with six defeats from 10 outings in the ongoing cycle.

At home, they will next feature against New Zealand in a three-match Test series in June. The first fixture between the two teams will be played starting June 4 at Lord’s.