Ben Stokes made 34 but went wicketless as his Canterbury side lost to Auckland
Colin Munro smashed 174no to hand Auckland victory by seven wickets
Wednesday 6 December 2017 14:12, UK
While England slipped to a defeat in Adelaide that is likely to see calls for his recall intensify, Ben Stokes showed his inclusion is no guarantee of success as his Canterbury side were well beaten by Auckland in the Ford Trophy.
The all-rounder remains unavailable for England selection while the CPS considers whether or not to charge him over the alleged incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September.
However, while many England fans will be hoping the ECB softens its stance following defeats for Joe Root's side in Brisbane and Adelaide, Stokes himself has suffered defeat twice in as many games since joining Canterbury, scoring a combined 36 runs and has yet to take a wicket.
It was an improved performance from the left-hander in Auckland, though, as he struck four boundaries in a 41-ball innings of 34 at Eden Park but, as on his Canterbury debut, spin proved his downfall as he was trapped lbw.
The 26-year-old opened the bowling for Canterbury but was unable to dislodge Colin Munro, who blasted a brilliant 174 not out from 118 balls, to get Auckland over the line with 7.3 overs to spare.
Stokes will now begin preparations for Canterbury's third Ford Trophy match of the campaign, against Northern Districts in Christchurch on Sunday.
England one-day captain Eoin Morgan is pleased to see Stokes back on the field: "He is getting cricket under his belt which is good as there is only so much you can get indoors, banging bowling-machine balls.
"For him to get miles into his legs as a bowler - given that he could potentially come back quickly - is a good decision."
