Stokes in talks to play in New Zealand

Canterbury Cricket is in informal talks with Ben Stokes about whether the English allrounder can suit up for the Kiwi side in its domestic limited overs games.

Stokes is en route to New Zealand on a private trip to see family in the land of his birthplace, with speculation mounting he will be rushed back into England's team for the third Magellan Ashes Test in Perth.

He remains the subject of a British police investigation after a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in September, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) waiting for that process to be finalised before they make their next step.

Stokes's international departure has further fuelled expectations that police are on the verge of confirming what kind of charges, if any, would be laid against him. 

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There were incorrect reports the 26-year-old was headed to Australia after he was spotted at Heathrow Airport but the ECB confirmed that this wasn't the case.

They stated Stokes would "spend time with his family" but the expectation is he will train and could even play, with New Zealand wickets proving a better warm-up for a potential Ashes appearance than the indoor nets in Durham.

Canterbury Cricket said in a statement it had held informal talks with Stokes' representatives regarding his potential availability for Ford Trophy and Burger King Super Smash cricket.

"The CCA Board and New Zealand Cricket will independently be considering this issue in the near future," chief executive Jeremy Curwin said.

New Zealand Cricket public affairs manager Richard Boock said the organisation had yet to receive a formal request regarding Stokes but would keep an open mind on the issue.

 

Elizabeth Ammon, a cricket news writer for The Times, told New Zealand's Radio Sport that Stokes could turn out for Canterbury against Otago on Sunday in Rangiora.

"His suspension from England is only from internationals. It was a carefully worded statement that didn't say anything about any other form of cricket," Ammon said.

"There's no official ban. He's eligible to play cricket. He's been training in the nets at Durham where it's freezing outside at the moment. He wanted to play some cricket to be ready for England whenever the investigation comes to its conclusion.

"Obviously the police are comfortable with him leaving the country."

Stokes was sorely missed by the visitors in their 10-wicket loss at the Gabba, with former England spinner Graeme Swann suggesting their abject failure to defend a lead in Australia's second innings could be directly attributed to his absence.

"A huge problem for England at the minute is that the person (in the squad who rallies the troops) is Ben Stokes," Swann told Optus Sport's 'Stumps' show. 

"England desperately need him to fill that hole, they've got used to building a team around him and I think it was shown up massively, especially (late on Day 4) when they went out with 170 to defend. I didn't see 11 cricketers cross the line for England who believed they could win that Test match. 

"You need one person to go around and slap a couple of faces, pinch a couple of people in the armpit and say come on, we're winning this game, drag people kicking and screaming into the fight but there was no-one doing that."

England's Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss reiterated on Monday the ECB was still awaiting a police decision on whether Stokes would be charged over the Bristol incident, which left a man hospitalised with facial injuries.

"There are certain procedural things that have taken place but there is a process that can only kick in once we've heard a charging decision from the police," Strauss said.

The Stokes speculation comes after the ECB had to deal with revelations of a weeks-old 'headbutt' incident involving Jonny Bairstow and Australia's Cameron Bancroft that emerged late on Day 4 at the Gabba, although both sides played the matter down in post-play press conferences.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Tickets

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21