ENGLAND BOOST: STOKES STILL A BIG CHANCE OF MAKING ASHES TRIP

CRICKET chiefs have opened the door to Ben Stokes making a shock return to the England team and playing in the Ashes.

Stokes is banned over his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in a latenight brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol. But the ECB appears to be softening its stance, with the police expected to announce this week whether Stokes will be charged.

The 26-year-old allrounder has stayed at home while the rest of the England squad is in Australia preparing for the first Ashes Test, which starts in Brisbane on November 23.

Stokes is waiting to hear if he will be charged over the late-night fracas in Bristol on September 25, with a decision expected this week.

If he is not charged by the police, the ECB’s disciplinary process will kick in. And the ECB has opened the door to the Durham star making an amazing return to the team by saying he could “rehabilitate his reputation on the field”.

ECB Tom Harrison said: “We have to get that balance between censure and support absolutely right.

“Cricket’s response to this will show the value of the game in the best light. We will quickly recover to where the game is seen as doing its best to rehabilitate reputations on the field, and try to get Ben and Alex [Hales] back to where fans are really behind them.”

Stokes, who fractured the little finger of his right hand during the incident in Bristol, is training at indoor nets in case he is given a recall.

Former Australia bowler Glenn McGrath said England would miss its “enforcer” if it was without Stokes.

“He’s an incredible player — he fills two spots in one,” Test Match Special pundit McGrath said. “If he doesn’t come out, that’s a big loss. But he’s vice-captain, he can’t put himself in those positions. He’s got to realise that.”