By james art 
England captain Ben Stokes has appealed for information after revealing his house was burgled during the Test tour of Pakistan.
Stokes’ home in the Durham village of Castle Eden was broken into on October 17 while his wife and two children were inside.
A number of “indispensable” personal items were taken, with the 33-year-old urging anyone with information to contact police.
“On the evening of Thursday October 17, a number of masked people burgled my home in the Castle Eden area of the North East,” Stokes said on social media. “They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and many personal belongings. Many of these items have real sentimental value to me and my family. They are irreplaceable.
“This is an appeal for any help to find these people who carried out this act. The worst part about this crime is that it was committed while my wife and 2 small children were in the house. Fortunately, no one in my family was physically harmed. However, it is understandable that the experience affected their emotional and mental state. All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been.
“I’m posting pictures of some of the stolen items – which I hope can be easily identified – in the hope that we can find the people responsible.”
“Although we lost precious possessions, to be clear, my only motivation for sharing these photos is not the recovery of material possessions. It’s to catch the people who did this. Please come forward and contact Durham Police on 101 quoting crime number CRI00575927 if you believe you have any relevant information.
“Finally, I want to thank the police. Both now and while I was in Pakistan, their support for my family was outstanding. They continue to work incredibly hard trying to find these people.
England were beaten 2-1 by Pakistan in the three-Test series, with Stokes returning to the side for the second match in Multan. The third day of the collision is the day of the break-in.
The all-rounder had missed the opener with a hamstring problem and has struggled to find top form, although head coach Brendon McCullum has backed his captain to return at full strength.
“We all know how competitive and driven the captain is, he will be hurt right now by how the series has gone,” McCullum said.
“He’s disappointed but he’s our captain and we know he’s a tough man. He will make sure he comes back and it’s our job to make sure we embrace him and help him along the way. It’s my job to make sure I’m there to support him.”