Western Daily Press (Saturday)
England’s Hales and Stokes are free to play
BEN Stokes and Alex Hales remain eligible for England selection after the outcome of a disciplinary hearing into their roles in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017.
All-rounder Stokes, who was cleared of affray in August, was handed an eight-match England ban by the Cricket Discipline Commission Disciplinary Panel, but those games are deemed to have been served.
Hales, who did not face criminal charges, was given a six-match white-ball ban with two already served and four suspended. Stokes, 27, was fined £30,000, with Hales, 29, fined £17,500, £10,000 of which is suspended.
After the verdicts were given, Durham all-rounder Stokes, pic- tured, apologised for the incident, accepting the verdict and said he had learned lessons from it, pleading guilty at the hearing.
“The criminal charges and, subsequently, the disciplinary charges have made it difficult to make public comment about the issues. I have already apologised to my team-mates, coaches and support staff for the consequences of my actions in Bristol,” he said in a statement.
“I regret the incident ever happened and I apologise to England supporters and to the public for bringing the game into disrepute.
“Cricket and family are my life. This incident has been a huge burden for the last 15 months. I am relieved to get back to playing the game that I love without this hanging over me.”
ENGLAND Test match captain Joe Root has signed a contract extension with Yorkshire, which will keep him at the county of his birth until 2022.
Root, who was born in Sheffield and made his Yorkshire debut in 2009, says he has no intention of leaving and is intent on remaining a part of the club’s development.
Root told the official club website: “I love playing for Yorkshire. It’s my county. It’s where I’ve grown up and what I know. It’s the White Rose and what it’s about. For me, I don’t really see myself playing anywhere else.
“I’m passionate about us as a county being successful. If I’ve got any opportunity to try to add to that and be a part of something, that’s really exciting for me.
“I’m looking forward to this new adventure for the club – new ground, young side, it should be a really exciting time.”
Root first came onto Yorkshire’s radar as a 12-year-old and went through the ranks, scoring 66 on his Championship debut against Worcestershire at New Road in 2011.
The 27-year-old was made England’s Test captain in February 2017 and is currently fourth in the ICC’s Test Batsman rankings.
Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon said: “Everybody at the club is delighted that Joe has agreed to extend until the end of 2022 and we’re pleased to have signed him up for that length of time.
“Clearly, at the moment, he’s not playing a great deal for us, but I think it’s great that we’ve got Joe’s affiliation with us and when he does play he has a massive impact. The influence he has on our players is huge and the younger players aspire to reach the levels that Joe has achieved – we’ve got that role model here.”
Travis Head marked his home debut with an unbeaten half-century as Australia battled well on the second day of the first Test against India in Adelaide.
Chasing the tourists’ total of 250, Australia fought back well to reach 191 for seven, Head finishing on 61 not out with Mitchell Starc also at the crease on eight.
India’s first innings lasted just one ball on the second morning when Mohammed Shami fell.
Australia looked primed for a collapse, but they were settled by Head and Pat Cummins, who forged a 50-run partnership.