Still to the fore for Sri Lanka tour

Saga continues with the Bristol two now facing a disrepute rap

Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the England and Wales Cricket Board and will face a disciplinary hearing in December.

An independent Cricket Discipline Commission was tasked with leading an internal investigation into an incident involving the England pair outside a Bristol nightclub in September last year.

Stokes denied a charge of affray and was cleared following a seven-day trial at Bristol Crown Court last month.

However, the allrounder and Hales will have to answer to two counts of breachin g ECB Directive England are preparing to name their limited-overs squad for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, with national selector Ed Smith unlikely to veer too far from a tried and trusted white-ball unit.

While Smith has shown a tendency for bold calls in the Test arena, the limited-overs group is much better settled.

With a home World Cup next summer the emphasis is likely to be more on reinforcing that group and tinkering with roles in different conditions than any radical rethinks.

Eoin Morgan’s men will play five one-day internationals in October, followed by a solitary Twenty20 on the island.

The core batting unit of Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Morgan, Joe Root and Jos Buttler should remain intact, with Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali all inked in as the allrounders.

Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone has a chance of earning a shot as the spare batsman, a role so often taken by Sam Billings, having previously proved his skill in Asian conditions for the Lions and also developed his status as an extra bowling option.

Moeen and Adil Rashid will travel as firstchoice spinners.

STILL AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION: Ben Stokes, left, and Alex Hales on England training duty in June