Trevor Bayliss says 'someone has to step up' in Ben Stokes' absence
Wednesday 1 November 2017 11:07, UK
Trevor Bayliss says "someone else is going to have to step up" in Ben Stokes' absence when England take on Australia this winter.
Stokes is one of the world's top all-rounders but is currently suspended while an investigation surrounding his recent arrest in Bristol continues.
England have arrived in Australia for the Ashes without Stokes and head coach Bayliss admits his absence weakens the side, but says they are fully focused on preparing for a warm-up game against Western Australia on November 4.
Bayliss told Sky Sports News: "Not having someone like Ben in the team will be a loss. Any team that loses one of their better players is not going to be quite the team they may have been.
"We have just gone about things as we normally have. A good player can have an injury and you would be without them anyway, so we have just prepared with the guys that we have got here.
"There hasn't been any chat about him being here or not being here. We have just got on with what we have been doing.
"We are losing one of the leaders of the team in everything. Batting, bowling, obviously in the field, his contribution to the team off the field, and he is a leader out on the ground as well. Someone else is going to have to step up."
The saga surrounding Stokes has raised question marks about the team's culture, but Bayliss says he will trust his squad to behave appropriately while on tour.
"I am all for not treating the guys like kids," he added. "That is the way we have gone about it over the past couple of years.
"In the end it is a personal choice. It doesn't matter what rules and regulations you have got in place. In the end, it is a choice a player makes.
"I think it's a bit of a reminder to the players about the responsibilities they have got, not just for themselves and their team-mates, but to the game in general."
