Stokes set to reunite with England team in New Zealand
Ben Stokes’ five-month exile from England duty will end today when he rejoins the national side in New Zealand.
Stokes pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray at Bristol Magistrates Court on Tuesday and, after establishing he did not need to appear at the next hearing on March 12, boarded a flight the following day.
Having departed Heathrow and travelled via Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, Stokes is due to land in Auckland in the afternoon.
He will then be met by members of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s support staff and driven around 70 miles to Hamilton, where the Twenty20 squad are currently based.
His arrival at the team hotel will mark a formal reintroduction to the set-up.
Stokes was last involved with the team in the one-day victory over the West Indies on September 24.
A night out with fellow players after that match culminated in an altercation outside a nightclub that has lead to a lengthy police investigation, during which time he was deemed unavailable for selection.
Stokes went on to miss the entire 4-0 Ashes defeat, the subsequent ODI campaign and the ongoing T20 tri-series.
England will already have trained by the time he touches down, though the gruelling nature of his journey means he would not have been expected to take part today anyway. The 26-year-old could net with the team on Saturday, but England have made it clear there is no prospect of him featuring at Seddon Park against New Zealand 24 hours later.
If New Zealand defeat Australia in Auckland, England’s chances of making the final would be over, making their final triangular match a dead rubber and theoretically providing a tempting occasion to restore Stokes to the field.
Stokes’ focus will be on pushing for selection for the first ODI, also at Hamilton, on February 25.
Speaking earlier in the week, head coach Trevor Bayliss, indicated he would need to see the player up close before making a final decision on his readiness. “Having a chat around practice you’ll probably be able to see whether he’s hitting them well in the nets, how it’s coming out with his bowling,” the Australian said
“It’s about making a judgement call at some stages. In the past he’s been out with injuries and come back sooner than we thought.
“That’s the type of character he is and it doesn’t take him long at all to get back up to speed.
“He’s been indoors doing plenty in the last month or two, so it’s not as if he’s been doing absolutely nothing.
“It’ll just be a case of getting him on turf wickets and a few outdoor nets.”