Ben Stokes's long-awaited return to England duty could take place in his native New Zealand after the all-rounder was included Thursday in a 15-man squad for a one-day international series against the Black Caps "subject to any court obligations"
Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes's long-awaited return to England duty could take place in his native New Zealand after the all-rounder was included Thursday in a 15-man squad for a one-day international series against the Black Caps "subject to any court obligations".
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Stokes has not played international cricket since being suspended by the England and Wales Board (ECB) following his involvement in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September that reportedly left a man with a fractured eye socket. As a result, the Durham all-rounder missed the whole of England's 4-0 Ashes series defeat in Australia. But last month saw Stokes included in England's squad for the upcoming triangular Twenty20 series that is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
However, English legal authorities then announced that Stokes was due to appear in a magistrates court on February 13 after he was charged with affray. That date clashes with what England had hoped would be Stokes's planned international comeback in a Twenty20 with New Zealand. England remain optimistic that Stokes will be available for all of a five-match ODI series that starts on February 25 but the complexities of the legal system mean they cannot be certain.
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