Skipper: It is right call to rest Stokes

A SELL-OUT Durham crowd will be denied a rematch between local favourite Ben Stokes and his World Twenty20 conqueror Carlos Brathwaite on Saturday, but England captain Eoin Morgan insists resting the all-rounder is the right decision.

The county have exceeded expectations by filling every seat in the house for a standalone match that lays bare the lack of context bedevilling the format at international level, with almost three years before the next global tournament.

Many of the 13,000 flocking to Emirates Riverside will have been eagerly anticipating witnessing Stokes renewing T20 hostilities with the man who clubbed him for four huge sixes to win the final in Kolkata last April but he has instead been handed a controversial, but well-earned, breather.

In standing Stokes down from duties at Chester-leStreet, the selectors have not only scuppered a grand homecoming for a man whose stock, profile and wealth have soared since his nadir in Eden Gardens but also quashed a compelling narrative in a contest crying out for one. But Morgan understands that the shortest format must play its part in England’s long game, particularly with an Australia tour on the horizon.

“I can see both sides of it, of course guys want to see him play,” he said. “And if there wasn’t an injury risk down the line or a huge Ashes tour coming up potentially he might be able to play. It’s unfortunate it has to be a game at his home ground but we have to stay strong with the decisions and the plans we have so down the line we don’t regret playing him in a one-off game.”

The Dubliner brushed aside suggestions that Stokes versus Brathwaite represented a seminal moment of sorts, with the pair having already faced off in 50-over cricket since their most famous meeting.

“It’s nothing to us,” he said. “It’s a long time ago. Ben has obviously learned a lot since then, become a more senior, more experienced player since then and he’s better for the experience. We played West Indies in March and Ben bowled at Carlos... he got him out in the last game.”