“He is not Don Bradman”, Otago Volts captain Jimmy Neesham takes a Jibe at Stokes
Dec 1, 2017 at 6:56 PM
With the war words taking a back step in the Ashes Test series, banished England star, Ben Stokes is likely to hear a lot when he takes the field in Rangiora on Sunday. Stokes, who is out from any international cricket after his suspension by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after getting into a brawl in the streets of Bristol. Stokes had a bowling session with Canterbury coach Gary Stead earlier today as he prepares to play for the New Zealand provincial side in a domestic one-day fixture north of Christchurch.
His stint with the Canterbury side could be the only cricket Stokes plays for some time after it emerged that he could face legal issues which will prevent him to feature in the One-Day series following the Ashes. The one-day squad is scheduled to be announced after the second Test and it’s unlikely Stokes will be named. Alex Hales, who was also there with Stokes in Bristol that night could also miss the series. England skipper Joe Root said earlier said he was always hopeful that the star all-rounder could re-join the team but re-affirmed there would be no movement until the legal matter was finished.
“Fair play to him to do everything he can to get himself in the best possible place to play cricket again. But we have to move forward. All of our planning and preparation has been without Ben and how we go about things won’t change,” Root was heard saying about Stokes’ New Zealand playing plans.
Stokes had a short bowling session with his coach, however, he is yet to meet his new teammates.
“He was a bit rusty, but that’s to be expected,” Stead stated.
Otago captain Jimmy Neesham admitted that his team will not get too sidelined by the arrival of Stokes.
“He’s just another player … It’s not like Don Bradman is walking out to bat,” Neesham said.
Canterbury CEO mentioned that this move was driven by Stokes himself as it could be the first step on his path back to the England team, and potentially during the Ashes, although the move by UK police this week to hand his case file to the Crown Prosecution Service could string the matter out even longer.