Ben Stokes back training in the nets amid links over England captaincy

Stokes - who is tipped to replace Joe Root as Test captain - had scans on his knee following the West Indies tour and is now plotting a return to county action in May ahead of the international summer.

Overseen by coach Will Gidman, he faced seamer Matt Salisbury during the lunch break of day two between Durham and Nottinghamshire.

It is believed he hit a good pace during an extended spell at batter Graham Clark before signing autographs for a handful of onlookers.

Whether Stokes adds captain to his long list of roles when he returns to England duty remains to be seen, but the matter is sure to be high on the agenda of the newly-appointed managing director of men's cricket Rob Key.

Key's priority is to have a head coach in place before the first Test of the summer against New Zealand in less than six weeks, but may move earlier in naming Root's replacement.

Writing in his Daily Mirror column on Thursday, Stokes paid tribute to Root before adding: "I know there will be lots of speculation around who will take over from him, and clearly as vice-captain and someone who has stood in on a few occasions my name will be strongly talked about.

Read more: West Indies captain Kieron Pollard retires from international cricket