THE chance of pink ball practice ahead of this summer's day-night Test could hardly have gone worse for Ben Stokes yesterday.

The England all-rounder was out for a seven-ball duck as the pink missile briefly wreaked havoc when Durham were put in by Worcestershire at Emirates Riverside.

He was then totally out of luck with the ball, conceding 69 in 12 wicketkless overs, as the visitors replied to Durham's 197 by reaching 213 for four.

The fact that it wasn't Durham's day could be summed up by the tale of two Clark(e)s.

Fresh from his century against Glamoran, Graham Clark was adjudged lbw to a ball which replays showed had no more than a passing acquaintance with leg stump, while the visitors' Joe Clarke looked plumb lbw to Chris Rushworth on nought and went on to make 45.

While teams chose to bat in the other eight games, Worcestershire dispensed with the toss and took a wicket in each over from the sixth to the tenth.

Skipper Joe Leach and former Durham player John Hastings made excellent use of the new ball. When they pitched it up it swung; when they hit the deck it bounced and seamed.

Hastings enjoyed an opening spell of 8-4-10-3, capped by having Stokes caught behind when trying to withdraw his bat from a steeply-bouncing ball.

Cameron Steel was first to go, playing back and edging a regulation catch to Daryl Mitchell at second slip.

Leach nipped one sharply into left-hander Keaton Jennings, who had looked very tentative and got an inside edge into his leg stump.

Three wickets fell on 18. Jack Burnham pushed forward and edged Hastings behind, Clark and Stokes followed before Paul Collingwood and Ryan Pringle put on 46.

Both fell on 64, Pringle lbw when half forward to Ed Barnard, while the captain sliced a drive to be caught low down at gully by Moeen Ali off 19-year-old seamer Josh Tongue.

The pink ball did not appear to live up to its reputation for staying hard and shiny for longer, however, as batting looked considerably easier after lunch as the last three wickets added 133.

Stuart Poynter and Mark Wood put on 54 before Wood fell for 21 when he cut a long hop from Tongue straight to deep backward point.

The return of Hastings held no fears for Barry McCarthy, who looked supremely comfortable, while Poynter cheekily steered the burly Australian over the slips to reach 43.

Without addition, however, he played across an in-swinging yorker and was bowled by Tongue.

That brought in last man Chris Rushworth, who had scored 57 and 38 in his previous two innings. He greeted the introduction of Moeen Ali with two fours through the covers and reached 30 before lifting a catch to deep square leg to leave Tongue with four for 41. McCarthy was unbeaten on 29.

When Mitchell, propping forward, edged Wood behind in the third over of the reply Worcestershire took the bold step of sending in Hastings.

He included a six over long-on off Rushworth in his 12 runs before edging an attempted hook off Wood to Poynter.

Leach continued the gamble by going in himself and pulled Rushworth for six before driving the same bowler to deep mid-off on 15.

A more measured approach then saw D'Oliveira and Clarke put on 77. D'Oliveira edged Rushworth through the slips for his ninth four to reach 50 off 72 balls, but it was a rare false stroke in a valuable innings as he remained unbeaten on 91.

When Stokes pitched the ball up looking for in-swing he was often driven through the covers, when he banged it in a couple of miscued pulls fell into space while well-timed ones sped to the rope.

As twilight fell Clarke flashed him over the slips then turned him to fine leg with the nearest fielder clearly not seeing the ball.

Clarke may well not have seen the third ball of Wood's second spell, which sent his off stump flying to bring in Moeen Ali, who eased his way to 36 at the 9.47 close.