DURHAM’S delight in seeing Ben Stokes score a match-winning century against Nottinghamshire yesterday was tempered by a worrying injury to Graham Onions.

He departed with a side strain after bowling three balls in the second over of the Royal London Cup tie at Chester-le-Street and is to have a scan today.

Bowlers usually take two months to recover from this sort of injury and Durham might have to consider bringing back Mark Wood ahead of schedule for the crucial championship match starting at Old Trafford on Friday.

That might depend on whether Stokes is available and he did his chances of an England recall for the fifth Test no harm yesterday, watched by England selector Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire coach.

Onions has already missed six weeks of the season with a back problem and after taking only 12 wickets at 42 apiece in his five championship appearances he was showing signs of regaining his form.

His part in the 50-over competition is almost certainly over, even if Durham do reach the quarter-finals, which is distinctly possible if they win their final group game at home to Surrey tomorrow.

Stokes will not be available for that as he said after yesterday’s six-wicket win: “I’m driving down to London to meet up with the England squad tonight.

“I’ve had a few starts this season but haven’t gone on, so this is my first hundred since the one for England in Perth. If I do get back in the Test team this innings will give me a lot of confidence.

“It’s always nice to put your hand up in front of a selector, but I wasn’t really thinking about that.

“I made a conscious effort.

This was the sort of innings I wanted to play.”