Australia news – Scott Boland’s Durham stint under threat due to heel injury

Boland’s plantar fasciitis issue had been the reason for his delayed arrival in England which saw him miss Durham’s first game. It is understood that Boland is unlikely to feature in Durham’s third-round fixture against Worcestershire which starts at Kidderminster on Friday. The club are awaiting more clarity on his fitness and have made early enquiries over possible replacements in the event that he is ruled out for a significant period of time.

Boland is due to play for Durham until the end of July and his contract covers both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. But he is centrally contracted to Cricket Australia – despite not playing a Test since last year’s Ashes – and they will monitor his workload throughout his time in England. It is understood CA’s medical staff will continue to work with Durham on Boland’s recovery after this latest issue as they are keen for him to play as much cricket as he can.

He was rested at the start of the Sheffield Shield season in the expectation that Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc would be rested at some stage during Australia’s series against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. But that trio ended up playing all seven matches, leaving Boland with a relatively quiet summer of six Shield games, plus four Marsh Cup appearances and three BBL matches.

Ben Stokes spent two days with the Durham squad during their draw at Edgbaston, continuing to build up his bowling loads as he continues his return to full fitness following knee surgery in November. “Good couple of days at Edgbaston last week,” he wrote on Instagram. “Weather been that bad had to make the trip up so I could bowl out doors [sic].”