Stokes a boost for England: Hesson
Ben Stokes’ impending return to international cricket may be dividing opinion, but New Zealand coach Mike Hesson is unequivocal.
‘‘Any side in the world, including us, would love a fully fit Ben Stokes,’’ Hesson said.
So would the England and Wales Cricket Board, which confirmed the star all-rounder’s comeback for the New Zealand tour as he awaits trial on a charge of affray, on a date yet to be set.
His absence from the England team since September will likely end on February
13 in the Twenty20 tri-series match at Westpac Stadium, where he was memorably photographed as a boy in
2003 cheering on the New Zealand Warriors league side when the family lived in Wellington.
Most discussion this week centred on the ECB’s handling of Stokes as the Crown Prosecution Service decided whether he would be charged after the incident outside a Bristol nightclub.
He was omitted from the test side for the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, and instead made cameo appearances for Canterbury in domestic cricket. Then, just days after the charge was announced, he was rubber stamped to resume international cricket. In New Zealand, too, there’s a more forgiving environment than the cauldron he would have stepped into in Australia.
‘‘I’m extremely delighted to be given this opportunity to do this again. I can’t wait to get back out on a pitch with the three lions on my chest and feeling that pride that we all get and giving everything for the team,’’ Stokes wrote on Twitter.
New Zealand Cricket has faced tricky decisions on player off-field behaviour with the likes of Scott Kuggeleijn and Doug Bracewell, who were both chosen for the Black Caps in the past year. Kuggeleijn was acquitted by a jury on a rape charge while Bracewell was convicted of drink driving for a third time. Both were cleared for selection by NZC after the judicial process.
Said Hesson: ‘‘Like anything the key is getting all the information. In those situations for us, we had all the information. With other teams you only hear what you’re given, or what you read, so you don’t often know the full facts. They are difficult decisions, and ultimately they are more board decisions than they are cricket decisions.’’
Cricket-wise, England will now be even stronger in New Zealand after they showed their white-ball ability with a fivewicket win over Australia, chasing down 305 in the fivematch series opener on Sunday.
After the T20 tri-series on both sides of the Tasman, England play five ODIs and two tests against the Black Caps.
‘‘They’ve been one of the form one-day sides since the last World Cup. There’s been three or four sides who’ve won a pretty high percentage of their games and England are one of those,’’ Hesson said.