Not very far away from where England began the important second Test against Australia in Adelaide, their suspended all-rounder Ben Stokes also had his first training session with his Canterbury teammates in New Zealand as he took his first step towards the much-anticipated international return.
The 26-year old is gearing up to represent Canterbury in New Zealand’s domestic one-day tournament and is likely to play the tournament opener against Otago at Rangiora on Sunday (December 3). The England star also talked to the journalists briefly, just speaking about his interactions with his new teammates.
“It was the first time I have met quite a few of them (my new teammates) today,” Stokes said.
“But it was nice to know a few faces, a few of the young guys came over to Durham as part of the exchange program. It was nice because it can be hard coming to a new team. Hopefully I can get out there, do well, and contribute to Canterbury winning,” he added.
.@benstokes38 training with @CanterburyCrick this morning in Rangiora.
(Video/@sportsnutDG) pic.twitter.com/m2Wv5JL1rZ
— Newstalk ZB Sport (@newstalkzbsport) December 1, 2017
Meanwhile, speculations are rife that Stokes could join his national team for the ongoing Ashes in Australia. The southpaw, who had got the cricketing fraternity buzzing last week when he was spotted at Heathrow Airport with his full cricket kit, has been granted a No Objection Certificate by the ECB which has further fueled the speculations that he would join the national team sooner than expected.
Those hopes, however, have been dealt a huge blow at the moment after Avon and Somerset Police last week confirmed that they had passed their completed file over to the Crown Prosecution Service, to seek to charge advise. As a result, the time at which Stokes could return to the team has become highly uncertain. As of now, he is suspended from playing international cricket by the ECB.
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