Stokes set to miss BBL
THE Big Bash League’s desire to be a family-friendly competition will almost certainly ensure any attempt from Ben Stokes to play in the Twenty20 tournament this summer is scuppered.
Cricket Australia has gone to great lengths to ensure the BBL appeals to its target audience of kids, families and females.
Aside from scheduling the competition in school holidays, CA famously came down on Chris Gayle like a ton of bricks after his sleazy interview with TV reporter Mel McLaughlin.
There was no formal CA edict about Gayle but he was effectively barred — none of the eight franchises expressed an interest in the Jamaican.
It’s understood Stokes, currently suspended by England because of his involvement in a brawl outside a Bristol club that left a man with a fractured eye socket, would be treated similarly to Gayle.
BBL franchises would be under immense pressure to look elsewhere, according to several sources.
A CA spokesperson indicated BBL contracts were a “case by case” basis, refusing to comment about Stokes.
It is understood the allrounder is yet to approach any BBL club or be approached but his deal with New Zealand franchise Canterbury hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Stokes’s T20 talent is perhaps best highlighted by the fact he was sold to Pune in this year’s Indian Premier League auction for a cool $2.8 million.
The 26-year-old is desperate to feature in the Ashes but England will not finalise its punishment until prosecutors decide whether to charge him. That may not occur before the current series ends.
Stokes is banned from international duty but was granted a No Objection Certificate last week, permitting the Christchurch-born star to play domestic cricket in his homeland.
There would be several bridges for the former Melbourne Renegades allrounder to cross before it came time for CA to review a potential BBL contract. The ECB must give its approval, while each BBL club only has two international slots.