Chris Stocks reveals that the England talisman will probably only miss the Lord’s Test despite his legal distractions
England’s squad for the first Test against India at Edgbaston a week on Wednesday is still undecided but coach Trevor Bayliss has made it clear that Ben Stokes will definitely be in it despite potential off-the-field distractions.
Stokes will miss the second match of the series at Lord’s next month as it clashes with his trial at Bristol Crown Court on a charge of affray.
That starts just a day after the scheduled conclusion of the series opener in Birmingham and given the close proximity of the two events it would be understandable if England decided to overlook the all-rounder for the first Test so he can concentrate on preparing for his trial.
Bayliss, though, categorically says that will not happen.
Asked if he was happy for Stokes to play in the first Test despite his impending court case, the Australian said: “Oh yeah. I think we’ve seen the benefits of having Ben in the team throughout this one-day series. He’s just the all-round package and just lifts everyone, lifts the team and it’s good having him around.
“Look, it’s not the best situation not having him there for the Lord’s Test but we want him available for as many games as possible.”
The other big issue for England ahead of the five-Test series is the fitness of leading bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
This story is from the July 20,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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This story is from the July 20,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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