Stokes signs for NZ Canterbury in new Ashes twist
Print Edition
Ben Stokes is set to return to competitive cricket as early as Sunday after signing with New Zealand province Canterbury in a move certain to fan speculation that the suspended allrounder is in line for a recall to England’s Ashes squad.
Stokes was omitted from the England touring party to Australia and remains suspended pending the outcome of a police probe into an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September.
However, Canterbury Cricket Association Director of Cricket Gary Stead confirmed the 26-year-old had signed as an overseas player and would be available for a one-day match against Otago on Sunday in Rangiora, near Christchurch.
“After the approach from Ben’s representatives everything has happened very quickly for us to the extent that we are now delighted to welcome Ben into the team,” Stead said in a statement yesterday.
“While Ben awaits the outcome of an investigation under way in the UK, he wants to maintain his fitness and his connection with the game.”
The confirmation came a day after police said they had passed a case file to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service and were seeking advice over whether to bring charges against Stokes following his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.
The CCA said Stokes’s signing had been agreed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and sanctioned by New Zealand Cricket. New Zealand-born Stokes arrived at Christchurch airport on Wednesday and said he was back to catch up with family.
The ECB distanced itself from Stokes’s visit Down Under, describing it as a “private” trip.
That did little to alleviate suspicions in neighboring Australia of a plot to parachute Stokes back into the England team midway through the Ashes.
Pundits in Australia have accused the ECB of a cover-up and the Stokes sideshow has overshadowed England’s Ashes tour and the tourists lost the first test in Brisbane by 10 wickets without their star allrounder. The second test starts in Adelaide tomorrow.
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