Coach backs rapid Stokes return to England lineup
England cricket coach Trevor Bayliss has welcomed Ben Stokes’ imminent arrival in New Zealand and believes he’ll be quickly up to speed for a return during the oneday international series.
The 26-year-old star allrounder pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray in Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, was granted bail and will face a jury trial in the city’s Crown Court starting on March 12.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Stokes would fly to New Zealand immediately, arriving in Auckland on Friday, and would not be required to return to England for the opening day of the trial.
He won’t be considered for Sunday’s Twenty20 international against the Black Caps in Hamilton and Bayliss said he was ‘‘unlikely’’ for the five-match ODI series opener at the same venue a week later.
Bayliss said they hadn’t discussed trying to secure match practice for Stokes - who returned to his city of birth to play six times for Canterbury in December - and a call on his return would be made on net form. Stokes scored one half-century - 93 off 47 balls against Otago - and took three wickets in all.
‘‘In the past he’s been out with injuries and come back sooner than we think. That’s the type of character he is and it doesn’t take him long at all to get back up to speed,’’ Bayliss said in Wellington, after his side’s 12-run T20 defeat to New Zealand.
‘‘He’s been indoors doing plenty in the last month or two, so it’s not as if he’s been doing absolutely nothing - it’ll be case of getting him on turf wickets and a few outdoor nets.’’
Bayliss said they wanted to get Stokes to New Zealand as soon as possible after his court appearance to assess his form. He was unsure when Stokes would have to return to England, as the two tests loom in Auckland starting on March 22 and Christchurch starting on March 30.
He hasn’t played an international since September 24 when he scored 72 against West Indies in Bristol, then a few hours later was involved in a fight outside a nightclub in which a 27-year-old man allegedly suffered a fractured eye socket. Two other men appeared alongside Stokes on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, with all three granted bail.
Stokes was originally named vice-captain but wasn’t included for the 4-0 Ashes test series defeat in Australia, and Bayliss welcomed the fact he would soon be talking about Stokes playing cricket again. The pair last spoke two or three weeks ago and Stokes was eager to return.
‘‘I was sick and tired of [questions about Stokes] from the first day. Look, it comes with the territory. It is what it is. Hopefully when he gets out here and starts playing cricket again, that’ll disappear.
Asked how Stokes would be received by his team-mates, Bayliss said: ‘‘Don’t forget he wasn’t the only one who was out that night, there was a few others. They all can’t wait for him to come back. He’s a very popular member of the squad, one of the leaders of the squad and there won’t be any problems whatsoever.’’
His absence with bat and ball was notable again in Wellington as England lacked a sixth bowling option then fell just short in their chase for 197. Without Stokes England beat Australia 4-1 in the ODIs but Tuesday was their third successive T20 defeat.
Whenever Stokes returns - be it game two in Tauranga on February 28 or game three in Wellington on March 3 - Bayliss knows he’ll be targeted by crowds but it was nothing out of the ordinary.
‘‘He’d probably cop some anyway even if he hadn’t been out for the last few months. It’s par for the course.
‘‘Most of the crowds wherever you go around the world target an opposition player. It’s usually one of the better players, to try and put them off their game and Ben’s been through all that before.’’