Ben Stokes Included in England's T20I Squad

England has once again included Ben Stokes in their 16-man squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series featuring New Zealand and Australia.

Stokes has still not learned his fate in the case that has kept him on the sidelines of international cricket for the last four months. The 26-year old has not played international cricket since September and is still waiting to learn if he will get charged over an incident outside a Bristol nightclub on September 25.

He got arrested soon after the incident on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm before being released on bail. Avon and Somerset police completed their investigation into the incident in November and passed a file on to the Crime Prosecution Service for advice on whether he should get charged.

He was initially named in England’s Ashes squad but was withdrawn later due to the ongoing police investigation. He was also named in the squad for the forthcoming One-Day International series but was replaced by Dawid Malan.

The England and Wales Cricket Board reiterated that they would convene within 48 hours to decide on Stokes’ much-awaited return to international cricket should he be either charged or cleared in the coming weeks.

“Ben Stokes is included, though his involvement remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments in relation to the incident in Bristol in September,” the statement from ECB read.

“Should the ECB board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage,” it added.

Stokes recently returned to competitive cricket for Canterbury in the domestic one-day and T20 competitions in New Zealand in December for which he was granted a no-objection certificate by the ECB. He was also given the green light by the ECB to play in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile, under-fire all-rounder Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow have been rested for the T20 series while fast-bowler Mark Wood, James Vince and Sam Billings have all been included in the squad. Test captain Joe Root, Dawid Malan and Tom Curran have also been added to the squad which will be led by Eoin Morgan.

“The T20 Tri-Series will be very competitive against quality opposition in Australia and New Zealand,” chairman of selectors James Whitaker said. “Our limited overs cricket has been progressing nicely across both formats, so this tournament will be another indicator of where we are heading as a team over the long-term.

“Our aim is to become the best T20 side in the world, and a strong performance in this series will give us the chance to progress up the team rankings.

“We felt with that it was important for Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who have had an intense period of Test cricket over the past few months, to play in the series and continue to develop their T20 experience and skills,” he added.

Following a warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on February 2, England will play two games against Australia in Hobart and Melbourne before flying to New Zealand to lock horns against the Kiwis in a couple of matches. The final will be held at Auckland’s Eden Park on February 21.

England squad:

Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood