Ashes 2017/18: Michael Vaughan Confident of Ben Stokes not Playing in Australia

Former England captain Michael Vaughan is confident of the fact that despite Ben Stokes’ inclusion in the England ODI squad for the limited-overs series against Australia, he will not feature in either red ball or white ball cricket Down Under.

He feels it is due to the pressure generated by the English public which prompted the selectors to name Stokes in the squad. However, he cannot be part of the Playing XI unless he gets cleared of any charges on the street brawl outside a Bristol Nightclub in September.

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The English all-rounder is currently in New Zealand where he is getting the much-needed match practice. He is playing for club side Canterbury, as he awaits a decision of whether he is charged or not over the alleged street brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in September.

The all-rounder cannot be considered for selection until the police procedure comes to closure. Meanwhile, an internal review from the England Cricket Board (ECB) also needs to take place. So with that in mind, Vaughan is quite sure that Stokes won’t be playing any cricket in Australia this summer.

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“It’s very confusing, but I don’t think anything has changed really. It’s the same situation we are in now, he’s not here playing for England because he is not deemed selectable,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by the BBC Sport.

Vaughan is sympathetic towards the ECB who has to deal with balancing a large public demand of Stokes while they also need to be cautious while the investigation on the street brawl is still on full flow.

“They don’t want to prejudice any kind of case moving forward. They had to include to include him in the squad. But I would bet my bottom dollar that unless this case comes to an end very quickly, there is no chance that Ben Stokes will play cricket in Australia this winter,” he said.

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