Paul Hayward
Desperate England in need of Stokes
Ben Stokes could be fast-tracked into England’s Ashes tour party in little more than 48 hours if he is cleared by Avon and Somerset Police over his actions in the street brawl in Bristol two months ago.
Stokes yesterday moved a step closer to being added to the England tour party by agreeing to play state cricket in New Zealand, having been given a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the England and Wales Cricket Board last Friday. The all-rounder flew to Christchurch, where his parents live, and is on the verge of signing a deal to play for Canterbury.
He is expected to play on Sunday in the Ford Trophy, New Zealand’s domestic 50-over tournament, in what will be his first match since breaking a hand in the Bristol street fight that led to his arrest and subsequent suspension from the England team.
Stokes is still in limbo with regard to international cricket, as there has been no update on whether he will be charged by police, but it is understood the 26-year-old gave his final statement to detectives last week.
If he is cleared, the ECB has a contingency plan enabling it to convene a board meeting within 48 hours, after which its disciplinary commission would be able to meet. It is thought likely they would consider any suspension to have been served retrospectively, meaning he could be available for selection as little as two days after being cleared. One option for the ECB would be to backdate his ban to cover the matches he has already missed. Since his arrest England have played two one-dayers and a Test in Brisbane. Add those in, plus the Test in Adelaide, and that could represent Stokes’ punishment, but the ECB would risk criticism for being too lenient.
It is not known when Somerset and Avon Police will make their decision on whether to charge Stokes, but the third Test in Perth does not start until Dec 14. There is then an eightday break before the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
The England coaching staff are understood to be desperate for Stokes to be allowed to rejoin the squad, but it is a very tricky situation for the ECB.
If Stokes is charged, any disciplinary sanctions would be put on hold for fear of prejudicing a future criminal trial. But it could be months before his case was heard and the temptation would be to allow him to play cricket again before he appears in court. By agreeing an NOC for New Zealand, the ECB has opened the door for him to fulfil his lucrative contracts in the Indian Premier League next April, as long as it does not coincide with any judicial hearings.
It means Andrew Strauss, the team director, has a tricky balancing act.
There are members of the ECB board who do not want Stokes anywhere near the Ashes tour, fearing the bad publicity it would attract.
But the coaching staff think that to compete with Australia, they need Stokes on board. He balances the team by batting at six, which reduces the length of the tail, and he is the only English cricketer with the aggression to match the Australians. If a deal can be agreed in time, Stokes is expected to play against Otago on Sunday in Rangiora, north of Christchurch.
He has recovered from the broken hand he sustained in the street fight and sources close to Stokes have said he is desperate to return to playing cricket.
He has been training in the Durham nets at the Riverside and, by agreeing a deal in New Zealand, he puts himself in the right place to join England’s Ashes squad as a last-minute call-up.
Jeremy Curwin, the chief executive of Canterbury Cricket, confirmed a deal had been discussed, saying: “The CCA Board and New Zealand Cricket will independently be considering this issue in the near future.” The ECB was initially caught unaware by Stokes’s travel plans after he was photographed at Heathrow on Monday evening. It later confirmed Stokes, whose parents live in Christchurch, was travelling independently of the board.
Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, said yesterday: “I can’t really comment too much until the ECB know what’s happening”. That is the problem. Until the police make a decision, there is no way Stokes can join the Ashes tour and the speculation surrounding his future is not helpful, coming only 24 hours after Strauss had to enforce a midnight curfew in the light of the Jonny Bairstow “butt” incident.
Lehmann also warned England to expect more bouncers from his attack on what he regards as the quickest pitch in Australia when the floodlights are on at the Adelaide Oval. “There’s a bit more pace and bounce in the wicket. It was the quickest wicket last year, so I hope that’s a good sign for us,” he said.