WHILE some of his England colleagues prepare for another county game, the fact that Durham have no match will force Ben Stokes to take an unwanted rest next week.

The bowling workload he imposed on himself during his two outings for the county persuaded Paul Collingwood to describe him as a “beast.”

“He put in a great effort with the ball in both innings at the Oval,” said the captain. “It's difficult to get the ball off him at times, when he gets going and it's great to have such a talented player in your ranks.”

Although Durham have had to settle for draws in their first three games, Collingwood added: “The quality of our cricket has been very good. I think our batting, in particular, has gone to a new level.

“One of the reasons is that there have been some really good batting surfaces and also, at Durham, we've had some excellent practice facilities to bat on in preparation.”

Stokes admitted to being disappointed with his two innings of nine and 12, saying: “I feel like I'm hitting it well in the nets, but it's a shame I haven't been able to have a big innings in the middle.

“These two games for Durham have put me in good stead for a busy summer. I didn't want too much time off then have to start back and get the body used to bowling again and have a week of stiffness.

“It's been good to get a few overs in to get used to bowling with the red ball again. But I'll have to take a bit more time off now before I meet up with England. I'm looking forward to getting back into it.”

In his two games for Durham Stokes bowled 76 overs and took 11 wickets. Chris Rushworth and Graham Onions both bowled 47 overs and took four wickets each, while Brydon Carse chipped in with 37 overs and five wickets.

Rushworth has eight wickets in total from three matches, compared with 20 at the same stage last season, which is a clear reflection of the changing nature of pitches.

It has been frustrating for Collingwood that the weather has played a big part in preventing his side from pressing home their advantage in each game.

While he declined to criticise the umpires for their reluctance to allow play on the final day against Middlesex, there was a hint that he felt Surrey were only too happy to get off the field during light rain at the Oval.

“We lost around 30 overs and it never really rained that hard. That was disappointing,” he said.