Just like the majority of the people, England skipper Joe Root has also admitted he was surprised to see pictures of Ben Stokes at Heathrow Airport earlier this week with his full cricket kit and thought it might be a “wind up” at first.
Images of Stokes with his kit bag sparked speculation that he was on his way to Australia to join the England squad. However, the speculation was soon ended after England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed that the suspended allrounder was New Zealand bound to spend some time with his parents.
However, things took an interesting turn after that as reports emerged that the ECB had given the player a No Objection Certificate to make himself eligible to play domestic cricket in New Zealand. It eventually culminated with Stokes signing a deal with Canterbury for playing in New Zealand’s domestic limited-overs tournament.
But just hours before the deal, England and Stokes were dealt a big blow after the Avon and Somerset Police announced that it had passed the player’s case file to Crown Prosecution Service to seek to charge. Stokes was being investigated for the incident in Bristol on September 25.
The latest development has further slimmed the chances of Stokes playing in the ongoing Ashes but Root said he would love to have the ace player back at any stage.
“From my point of view, anytime you can have Ben in your side it would be great,” Root said ahead of the important second Test. “When I saw the pictures I was wondering whether he was going on holiday with his England bag just to wind people up.
“But I would personally love to have him back. As a team, we’d love Ben to be part of the squad. Travelling to play in New Zealand just shows how much it means to him to play for England and how desperate he is to do well for his country. It is testament to his character. Fair play to him to do everything he can to get himself in the best possible place to play cricket again,” he added.
At the same time, Root insisted that the team needs to move forward and perform in the upcoming matches. Root also made it clear that Stokes would not play for England until the investigation concludes.
“But we have to move forward and make sure guys stand up. These things are completely out of our hands and we just have to move on. All of our planning and preparation has been without Ben and how we go about things won’t change.”
“Without the investigation being closed or moving forward, he won’t be able to play for England,” Root said. “So whether he’s here in Australia or in New Zealand or back home, the stance is the same. Until that changes there is no point in thinking otherwise. I know these things can take time.”
Meanwhile, England are trailing the five-Test series 1-0 after the heavy 10-wicket loss in the series-opener at the Gabba and will be looking to bounce back in the second Test, scheduled to start on Saturday (December 2) in Adelaide.
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