Ben Stokes arrives in New Zealand after talks with Canterbury over playing domestic cricket
Wednesday 29 November 2017 16:12, UK
Ben Stokes landed in New Zealand on Wednesday following talks by his representatives over his availability to play for Canterbury.
The 26-year-old flew into Christchurch, his place of birth, to visit his family and many England fans will still be hoping the all-rounder will be available for selection in the Ashes series in Australia. England trail 1-0.
He remains unavailable because of an ongoing police investigation and was the subject of intense social media speculation on Monday following the emergence of a picture appearing to show him at Heathrow airport with his cricket gear.
"Just looking forward to seeing mum and dad," Stokes told reporters on arrival in New Zealand. "Just catch up with everyone I haven't seen in a long time."
Stokes was arrested in September by Avon & Somerset Police on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub and has not been considered for Trevor Bayliss' team since.
However, it appears participation in New Zealand's domestic events is the more likely with Canterbury confirming there had been informal discussions on including Stokes for the Ford Trophy and Burger King Super Smash competitions.
The Canterbury Cricket Board will meet on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of Stokes playing for the club, however Sky Sports News understands that head coach Gary Stead believes there is no guarantee of an agreement and the ECB will need to sign off any deal.
Canterbury's CEO Jeremy Curwin said on Tuesday: "The CCA Board and New Zealand Cricket will independently be considering this issue in the near future but, until then, we are unable to provide any more detail on the status of the deliberations.
"As and when there are any further developments we will of course release further statements."
Speculation has grown that Stokes could now figure against Australia, with ex-England wicketkeeper Matt Prior tweeting that New Zealand was the perfect place to acclimatise.
Sky Sports Cricket pundit Nasser Hussain, who says that Stokes playing for Canterbury makes "cricketing sense", has insisted he must be protected if he receives an Ashes call-up, following his misdemeanour and the "headbutt" incident between Jonny Bairstow and Cameron Bancroft.
The ECB told Sky Sports News on Monday that Stokes was "not on his way to the Ashes, England Lions or any other official training camps with the England setup".
A statement said: "The ECB is aware that Ben Stokes is making a private trip to New Zealand to spend time with his family. His travel arrangements have not been arranged by the ECB."
