Bayliss: Stokes ‘unlikely’ to play in first ODI

Stokes has been made available for England’s tour of New Zealand despite his ongoing court case. The allrounder will fly out to join England’s one-day squad this week

England’s head coach Trevor Bayliss has stated that Ben Stokes will not be rushed back into things as he rejoins his England team-mates.

Stokes has been made available for England’s tour of New Zealand despite his ongoing court case. The allrounder will fly out to join England’s one-day squad this week.

Stokes entered a not guilty plea to a charge of affray at Bristol Magistrates Court on Tuesday and the case has now been referred to the Crown Court.

The allrounder's next hearing is scheduled for March 12 but he is not obliged to attend in person. England are due to begin their ODI series against New Zealand on February 25 at Seddon Park and Stokes will be available for selection.

^{Stokes' last England appearance came in September 2017}

An ECB spokesperson said: “Any decision to include him in upcoming matches will be made by head coach Trevor Bayliss and the England management team."

So to the man in charge, Bayliss said: "He hasn’t played for a while … It is not as if we can maybe bring him straight back for these T20s, for example.

"We have got to get him up to speed and hopefully during this one-day series we can get him back into the team. 

"At this stage I’d have to say it was unlikely [he’ll play the first ODI]. We’ll have to wait and see how he is with travel, with practice.

^{"He’s a quality batter and bowler and our best fielder and one of the leaders in our squad"}

"The reason we are getting him out as soon as we can is that we can get him up to speed so he is available for selection as early as possible.

"Knowing Stokesy, he trains harder than anyone else. It’ll just be something we have to keep an eye on as the practice days go. That’s the idea – to try and get him out here before some of the other one-day boys so that he can have an extra few days.

"Apart from the way he plays, he’s a quality batter and bowler and our best fielder and one of the leaders in our squad.

"I think one of the biggest things we’ve missed over the summer has been the combinations we’ve been able to play. Right throughout the summer we’ve been down to five bowlers, especially in the one-dayers and T20s.

"We’ve been able to have six bowlers before, which gives the captain plenty of different options. I think that’s what we’ve missed the most apart from his individual performances."