The fact that England got mauled in Australia has Ben Stokes’
absence as one of the biggest reasons. The dashing all-rounder was left out of
the Ashes squad due to an ongoing investigation going on against him.
The left-handed batsman got into a fist fight against some people
outside a bar in Bristol. According to some witnesses, he was actually beating
up some homophobic bullies who were trying to torment the witnesses, who are
homosexuals.
As a result, a case was filed against the all-rounder and
the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are still investigating the matter and have not come
to a final decision regarding the incident.
This is why he wasn’t taken to Australia and now that the CPS are yet to announce their decision regarding the case, England selectors
have decided to not call the all-rounder to Australia for the ODI series,
prolonging his exile from the team.
On the other hand, Alex Hales have been cleared of any
wrongdoings outside the Bristol Mbargo Bar and, as a result, has been called up
for the ODI series. While the England selectors were asked to pick their best
squad, not having Stokes in it is quite unfortunate.
The all-rounder, who is perhaps England’s best player,
returned to competitive cricket with Canterbury last month. Many expected him
to make a shock return, but now it seems like a dream that won’t come true for
a while.
The final squad for the ODIs will be announced officially
tomorrow, with Dawid Malan expected to take the place of Ben Stokes. Malan, who
scored a century at Perth, has had a good outing in the Tests and deserves a
place in the ODI team.
However, he doesn’t bring in the explosiveness of Stokes and
also doesn’t have the bowling aspect that the all-rounder does.
But England will be hoping that after a poor outing in the Tests, the team salvages some pride in the ODI series at least.
Picture credit: Getty Images
