Stokes blasts Durham back to Lord's

Ben Stokes, a symbol of lone England resistance during a dismal Ashes series, emphatically put a troubled summer behind him with one of the most destructive innings of the season as his 164 swept Durham into the Royal London One-Day Cup final. Further confirmation that his vigour has returned will be a tonic for England after a stress-ridden one-day summer.

Durham's winning margin was overwhelming - 83 runs - despite the commendable efforts of Nottinghamshire captain James Taylor who extended his peerless run of one-day hundreds. He was last out, to Stokes, for 114 from 112 balls.

Taylor then drove south to join England's T20 squad at Edgbaston. It was a shame that Stokes was not belatedly asked to make the same journey, especially as Tim Bresnan has been withdrawn from the squad because of a shoulder strain.

Taylor's message rang loudly even in defeat. This was his fourth one-day hundred in a month and his record of 12 centuries in 101 List A innings outdoes any other England-qualified batsman. England say their strategy is based on hundreds in the top four. He produces them. Apart from a couple of matches against Ireland, and now a place in the T20 squad, they do not pick him. Work that one out.

But it is Durham who have secured a second Lord's final, against Warwickshire on September 20, and it is to be hoped that the final brings the 50-over competition some much-needed lustre. Both semi-finals have attracted attendances of around 3,000, once again emphasising a disconnect between English cricket and the public that urgently needs to be addressed.

The sight of Stokes giving an unimpressive Nottinghamshire attack a pummeling must have been a heartening sight for Yorkshire as they prepare to meet Notts at Trent Bridge on Tuesday in a match where victory would clinch their first County Championship for 13 years.

Stokes, who also took a century off Notts on the same ground last month, inflicted further punishment in a destructive display of power hitting, a career-best one-day score which spanned 113 balls. Form seems to be a relatively simple thing for him. When he is out of form he swings and misses. When he is in form he swings and hits. This time he hit.

There were heartening signs for England at Headingley on Saturday that he is capable, too, of righting his international form before the World Cup gets underway. His unbeaten 33 from 23 balls might not attract much attention but coming, as it did, after an England run of 43 runs in 12 innings in all formats, with six ducks, at an average of 3.60, it was a relief. Perhaps he is emerging out from the other side of a phase of his career that also involved a broken wrist after an ill-advised attempt to use a dressing locker as a punchbag.

Chris Read, Nottinghamshire's excellent wicketkeeper, will have greatest cause to rue Stokes' innings. He dropped him on 12, standing up to the medium pace of Steven Mullaney, a thin edge which bounced out of his gloves and which he failed to grab at the second attempt.

From that point, he gave the Nottinghamshire attack a licking, mixing leg-side heaves with crunching drives. There was no mid-innings uncertainty against the spinners as there had been for England against India: Samit Patel, slog swept for six as Stokes broadened his range, only bowled six overs; the offspinner Sam Wood, who had bowled only four overs in the competition, was withdrawn after two here.

It was not a day for Luke Fletcher to mislay his yorkers, but both he and Jake Ball were repeatedly clubbed away. Ajmal Shahzad's variations proved only slightly more disconcerting. It was Shahzad who eventually dismissed him with one over remaining, only five runs short of Jacques Rudolph's highest score of the competition, made for Glamorgan at Hove last month.

As well as his three wickets, Shahzad also ran out Phil Mustard, whose 89 from 111 balls had been Durham's other major contribution. Stokes screamed "no" after digging out Shahzad's yorker, but Mustard was halfway down the wicket before he turned and Shahzad fielded aggressively off his own bowling, turned, and threw down the stumps.

Mustard, who along with Mark Stoneman gave Durham a flyer against the new ball, was able to go 18 overs without a boundary without many people noticing. Backing away to the leg side, he then awoke by striking Ball for 4-6-4. Durham took 57 from the Powerplay and a score in excess of 300 was assured. In a resounding finale which pretty much settled the match,117 from the last 10 overs took them to 353, Stokes' strokeplay now entirely unfettered.

At 158 for 3 from 30 overs, Notts were matching Durham's progress, with James Taylor and Samit Patel batting with authority. Patel's half-century was secured with a six to deep square leg when Calum MacLeod trod on the rope as the crowd cheered an imagined catch. But Patel edged to the keeper next ball, cutting Gareth Breese, and for all Taylor's skill and spirit, Notts never threatened again. Taylor's message rang loudly all the same.