It’s a messy situation, says Fulton
Respected Canterbury cricket figure Peter Fulton has questioned whether suspended English star Ben Stokes should be playing the sport while banned by the England Cricket Board (ECB).
Former Black Cap Fulton, who retired at the end of last summer after 16 first-class seasons for Canterbury, said Stokes’ presence would be a major boost for the association and domestic cricket, but had concerns.
Christchurch-born Stokes has been barred by the ECB following his alleged involvement in a street brawl, but that could be lifted at any time with a police investigation ongoing.
Stokes landed in Christchurch on Wednesday, where parents, Gerard and Deb, live. He is poised to play for Canterbury in their 50-over Ford Trophy opener against Otago at Rangiora’s Mainpower Oval on Sunday ahead of a possible return for the third Ashes test in Perth, starting December 14.
Fulton, Canterbury’s record holder for first-class matches (121) and runs (8719), had reservations whether Stokes should be wearing red-and-black when the ECB deemed it serious enough to suspend him.
‘‘If he can’t play for them, I would question whether he should be playing for Canterbury,’’ Fulton said.
‘‘It would depend on what his legal situation is really ... He hasn’t been charged with anything.’’
Fulton’s comments echo the sentiments of former Australian batting great Dean Jones, who tweeted on Tuesday he was ‘‘speechless’’ Stokes could be available for cricket while suspended by the ECB.
Complicating the matter for Canterbury is the fact young batsman Ken McClure has stood himself down from representative cricket on Friday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of injuring with reckless disregard.
McClure assaulted a man in Hanmer Springs on September 10 on a pre-season trip for his East Christchurch Shirley club. He has been remanded for sentencing until January 19 and won’t play for Canterbury until that has been sorted by the courts.
While Stokes hasn’t been prosecuted, Fulton admitted it was a ‘‘messy situation’’.
‘‘You’ve obviously got someone else, a young Canterbury player [McClure], who’s been dealing with something similar. It’s not anything Canterbury would ideally like to be associated with.’’
Fulton said Stokes’ potential involvement in domestic cricket would be a positive experience for his Canterbury team-mates, the opposition and cricket fans.
Stokes would be playing for Canterbury in his prime, while many other notable domestic imports have arrived long after their international careers have ended.
‘‘He’d add a lot of value on the field and from a commercial point of view it would be pretty big.
‘‘From a cricketing point of view, it makes all the sense in the world, but from the other point of view, it gets a little bit more complicated.’’
Fulton blasted the fastest 50-over domestic century in New Zealand history (50 balls) during his last one-day appearance at Mainpower Oval in February as Canterbury toppled Wellington in the final. He hit an unbeaten 116 from 58 balls.
If Stokes plays, there could be similar batting pyrotechnics at the Rangiora country ground, but Fulton said cricket was a great leveller.
‘‘We’ll have to wait and see, I guess. As we all know, cricket is a funny old game and anything can happen.’’