Dashing Australia opener David Warner feels English all-rounder Ben Stokes has ‘let a lot of people down’ with his behaviour in a recent brawl that took place on the streets of Bristol.
However, the southpaw wished Stokes all the luck if he does feature in the tournament.
“I think it’s probably disappointing for the England team and the country. I think he’s let a lot of people down. I would have loved for him to be out here because I know what a competitor he is on the field, and he’s a world-class player,” Warner was heard saying ahead of the first Test at Gabba.
Notably, Stokes was excluded from the Ashes squad after he got arrested in Bristol on September 25. He was spotted hurling punches at two men in the roads of Bristol, outside a nightclub at 2:30 am as per the footages showed by The Sun newspaper.
The chief executive of the English and Wales Cricket Board, Tom Harrison said the board was in a ‘holding pattern, and there is no chance of Stoke being recalled to the squad until the police have confirmed whether or not they intended to prosecute.
The 31-year-old Warner feels Stokes is aware of the fact that he has made a mistake and now it is about getting back the respect back from the teammates and the people of the country.
“It’s obviously up to the English police first. But at the end of the day, he knows he’s made a mistake, and it’s about him getting the respect back from his players and fellow countrymen. If he does come out here we wish him well, and hopefully he brings the fieriness that he does to the competition and to the cricket,” Warner further stated.
The swashbuckling opener ended that chat on a congratulatory note as he wished everyone good luck.
“I wish everyone well. We’re all sportsmen. We’re trying to achieve the same thing, and that’s to win. So I wish everyone good luck,” Warner concluded.
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