Ben Stokes has not played international cricket since September last year
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
All-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in England’s team for the T20 tri-series involving Australia and New Zealand next month.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed that his participation in the series will be based on the outcome of the ongoing police investigation.
Stokes is still waiting to hear whether he will be charged with actual bodily harm following a street brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol in September.
“Ben Stokes is included, though his involvement remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments in relation to the incident in Bristol in September,” a statement released by the ECB said. “Should the ECB board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage.”
Meanwhile, pace bowler Mark Wood, who has not played any international cricket since July, has been included in the squad. Wicketkeeper Sam Billings and batsman James Vince have also been recalled after missing out on England’s last Twenty20 International, which was a 21-run loss to the West Indies.
Vince is coming off a tough Ashes series, where he scored 242 runs in the five Tests at an average of 26.88. As a result, people have once again begun questioning whether he should be in the Test squad.
As for batsman Dawid Malan, who also found a spot in the Twenty20 squad, he fared a lot better against Australia as he accumulated 383 runs at an average of 42.55.
“We felt with that it was important for Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who have had an intense period of Test cricket over the past few months, to play in the series and continue to develop their T20 experience and skills,” national selector James Whitaker said.
However, all-rounder Moeen Ali and wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow have both been left out for the tournament.
Like Vince, Moeen struggled to have an impact in the Ashes as he averaged 19.88 with the bat and only took five wickets at an average of 115.
Bairstow, meanwhile, scored 306 runs at an average of 34.
“The IT20 Tri-Series will be very competitive against quality opposition in Australia and New Zealand,” Whitaker said. “Our limited-overs cricket has been progressing nicely across both formats so this tournament will be another indicator on where we are heading as a team over the long-term.
“Our aim is to become the best T20 side in the world and a strong performance in this series will give us the chance to progress up the team rankings.”
The T20 tri-series will get underway on February 7 in Hobart and will conclude on February 21 in Auckland.