Stokes, Root, Broad to feature on Finals Day

Ben Stokes will continue his rehabilitation from a calf tear that kept him out of England's last two Tests against Pakistan by appearing for Durham on NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day. Stokes is one of a number of England players made available for their counties this week in the knockout stages of the white-ball competitions.

Stokes, who has been cleared to bat and bowl, is set to come up against England team-mates Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow in the second Blast semi-final between Durham and Yorkshire on Saturday. Durham will also have centrally contracted pace bowler Mark Wood at their disposal.

Wood and Stokes are hopeful of being involved in England's limited-overs series against Pakistan, after a summer disrupted by injuries. Wood has twice undergone surgery on his ankle but bowled with impressive pace to help Durham beat Gloucestershire at Bristol and book a place at Finals Day; Stokes also had an operation, on a knee injury suffered during the Sri Lanka Test series, and then hurt his calf playing against Pakistan at Old Trafford.

England have allowed seven of the players who were involved in England's defeat at The Oval to turn out in the Blast and Royal London Cup. Stuart Broad is set to play his first white-ball game for Nottinghamshire in almost a year (he was selected for a Blast game in July but it was abandoned without a ball bowled), with Alex Hales also available for Finals Day, when they will play Northamptonshire.

Yorkshire's trio of Root, Ballance and Bairstow are also in line to play the Royal London Cup quarter-final at Kent on Thursday. Moeen Ali has been released for Worcestershire's quarter-final trip to Taunton and Chris Woakes will be part of Warwickshire's squad for the visit of Essex on Wednesday.

The only member of the Test side that won't be in the reckoning for his county is the captain, Alastair Cook, who has been requested to take a break by the England management.