Stokes set for one-day series return

BEN Stokes is in line to make his England return next month after he and Alex Hales were provisionally selected for the one-day series against Australia.

Stokes, currently playing for Canterbury Kings in New Zealand, and Hales have not been in action for England since September 24 after they were declared unavailable for international selection until further notice.

Match-winning all-rounder Stokes is not part of England’s ongoing Ashes Test tour as he waits to discover if he will be charged after his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm during a late-night fracas in Bristol on September 25.

Hales, also present during the incident outside a nightclub following England’s ODI win the previous day, will not face any charges.

The pair were named in a 16-man squad, though an ECB statement noted: “Their involvement remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments in relation to the incident in Bristol in September.”

Coach Trevor Bayliss is prepared for the heightened attention which will surround Stokes’ return.

He said: “That’s been discussed – but whenever he comes back it’s going to be a bit of a circus, for sure.

“Whether it’s any more of a circus than it’s already been, it’s hard to say. If it happens, let’s just get on with it and take it on the chin.”

Asked about the timing of any clarification of Stokes’ situation, Bayliss added: “I’ve got absolutely no idea ... (we’re) still waiting for the police report.”