Ben Blasts his way to T20 best
BEN STOKES starred with bat and ball as Durham thrashed Worcestershire in the Vitality Blast.
Stokes claimed careerbest T20 figures of 4-16 in an easy win.
He trapped Martin Guptill lbw and followed that up by dismissing Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox in the space of two balls in the 14th over.
Preparing for the start of England’s Test series against India, Stokes completed his impressive haul when bowling Dillon Pennington for a two-ball duck before Worcestershire were all out for 121 in 19.2 overs.
Durham wasted no time knocking off the runs, Stokes and Graham Clark putting on 77 for the first wicket, before the England all-rounder fell to international team-mate Moeen Ali for 43.
But Clark carried on, completing his half century while hitting eight fours and a six as he made with 55 and led Durham to victory with 5.2 overs and seven wickets to spare.
Somerset have signed West Indies paceman Jerome Taylor for the Blast.
The 34-year-old, with 30 T20 internationals under his belt, will be available for nine South Group matches and the knockout stages if Somerset progress.
Taylor, set to make his debut against Surrey at The Oval next Friday, said: “It’s a real honour to join such a prestigious club and I hope I can help bring my experience to what looks like a really exciting group of young players.”
Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry said: “We are delighted to have secured such a high-quality player.”