Ben Stokes not prone to include for England before New Zealand Test

Ben Stokes was dearly being missed by England  in the Test format, after getting thrashed 0-4 in The Ashes. Hopes were pinned on Stokes to make his international return in the upcoming Twenty 20 International (T20) series against New Zealand, but were dashed thanks to his court proceedings. Stokes is being asked to present his case in the court on February 13, the day of first T20I is scheduled.

Stokes will board the plane to New Zealand after the hearing and play in the ODI series given he does not have any more hearing. The Test series is to begin in March. England’s New Zealand tour gets over around April, and Stokes is likely to have a hearing within this period. England are currently 2-0 up in the 5-ODI series against Australia, having won both MCG and Gabba games.

After England’s second ODI win, Joe Root did speak about Stokes’ presence. As quoted by telegraph.co.uk, said: “It’s out of own hands. Nothing we can do about that. We’ve got to make sure we keep trying to win this series and get the best out of this squad or cricketers. When you’ve got guys like Ben Stokes missing out and still to come back in it’s a great place to be as a side.”