Bayliss wants Stokes to avoid ban

REUTERS. England coach Trevor Bayliss is hopeful that Ben Stokes’ “exemplary” conduct since an altercation outside a nightclub last year can help the all-rounder avoid a ban ahead of the side’s tour of the West Indies starting in January.

Stokes and batsman Alex Hales face a disciplinary hearing early next month after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had charged the pair with bringing the game into disrepute following the September 2017 incident in Bristol.

“I hope he (Stokes) is available for our next game. I think he’s learnt a lesson since that time. The way he’s conducted himself since he’s come back into the fold has been exemplary,” Bayliss told reporters.

“The hearing coming up hasn’t affected him, I haven’t heard it mentioned once around the changing room.” The pair could face any of a range of penalties from a warning to the termination of their contracts.