Big Ben puts his hands to good use for Canterbury
BEN Stokes ensured his name was back in the headlines this week – for the right reasons.
The all-rounder, who is not available for England selection until the Crown Prosecution Service decides whether to charge him after being arrested over an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September, is currently playing in New Zealand for Canterbury Kings.
And on Thursday, he showed he’s still in fine form with a blistering 93 off just 47 balls as the Kings beat Otago Volts by 134 runs in the Super Smash in Christchurch.
The 26-year-old, who also picked up 1-17, had scored only 36 runs in his first three 50-over games for Canterbury.
ENGLAND’S drinking antics on this current Ashes tour have not gone down well, but Steven Finn has admitted the team went out more during the successful 2010-11 tour.
Ben Duckett and Jonny Bairstow have both been criticised for events late at night following Ben Stokes’ arrest for his part in a fight outside a nightclub in Bristol in September, but injured bowler Finn says going out is nothing unusual.
He said: “I toured away in Australia in 2010-11 when I was a young man and there was a lot of alcohol drunk on that tour.
“There was lots of going out – way, way more than what happens under this current regime. I remember going to the Barmy Army parties and being in the middle of that with the fans.
“The guys there were in a four-storey building in Sydney after we won that series and you’re enjoying making memories with the fans – the people there supporting you, who’ve paid money to be there.
“It’d be a real shame if we lost that approachability in light of what’s happened, but it’s a very fine line.
“From having been involved in both eras I’d say in 2010-11, one of my fondest memories of the trip is going out a lot and enjoying yourself, embracing the culture.
“But obviously, what’s happened has changed that.”
ENGLAND Lions got a taste of what their senior counterparts came up against four years ago as a fired-up Mitchell Johnson led Perth Scorchers to victory.
The Lions were given the honour of playing the first match at the 55,000-capacity Perth Stadium which is due to stage England’s ODI against Australia in the New Year and benefitted from no Johnson to win the opener.
But the paceman returned in the second match claiming 2-40 as the Scorchers won by five runs, despite Nick Gubbins’ 68 from 52 balls.
PERHAPS England have taken inspiration from the media that have travelled Down Under as the UK journalists beat their Aussie counterparts on the football field.
After a 1-1 draw, Michael Vaughan netted the winning penalty, and the streets went wild…