Ben Stokes to return for first England-New Zealand ODI

The all-rounder is set to play his first international match since having been sidelined in the aftermath of a nightclub incident in September last year.

Published : Feb 24, 2018 11:14 IST , Wellington

 Ben Stokes’ last international match was an ODI against West Indies in September last year.
Ben Stokes’ last international match was an ODI against West Indies in September last year.
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Ben Stokes’ last international match was an ODI against West Indies in September last year.

Ben Stokes is set to return to international cricket on Sunday when England plays its first One-Day International against New Zealand in Hamilton.

The star all-rounder, who had been sidelined since his arrest following a nightclub incident last September, rejoined the England squad in New Zealand last week after pleading not guilty in the Bristol magistrates court to a charge of affray.

‘Great nick’

Although England has not yet named its side for the first ODI, and Stokes is short of match practice, captain Eoin Morgan suggested on Saturday he would be in the line-up. “He looks in great nick, he’s hit the ground running since he’s been involved and he’s been himself, which is great to see,” Morgan said.

“He might be better for the more games he does play and feel more comfortable coming back ... it is his first game in quite a long time,” Morgan said.

Stokes has had long net sessions since his arrival and was said to be middling the ball well with the bat and bowling at maximum effort. Along with Stokes, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Jonny Bairstow are also back in the England squad after missing the recent tri-nations Twenty20 series in which Australia beat New Zealand in the final .

New Zealand has won just one of its last seven Twenty20 matches and only edged England out of the final on the strength of a superior run-rate, and will be looking to turn its fortunes with the change of format. “It’s a different group, this one-day squad. We’ve played some good one-day cricket,” said coach Mike Hesson.

‘Can’t only focus on one player’

The home side has enjoyed a golden run in recent months with a 3-0 ODI series win against the West Indies and beating Pakistan 5-0. But Hesson said his side knows it will have to be at its best to match England. “They (England) are aggressive from ball one with the bat. That in itself means we’ve got to keep taking wickets. Their whole (batting) order from one to nine keep coming hard out and obviously Ben (Stokes) is one of those. We can’t only focus on one player because they’ve got plenty of good ones.”

Read: Ben Stokes purchased by Rajasthan Royals for INR 12.5 crore

Morgan believed that how England adapted to New Zealand conditions would be crucial to the outcome of the five-match series. “They’ve been on a run, have got a good well-balanced side and play extremely well at home,” he said. “I mentioned before we bowled a ball in Australia that these two series we were going to play have the potential to expose some of the weaknesses of our side. We’ve got to be open to learning and improving on those weaknesses as we go along. Australia was a tough series and New Zealand are going to be no different.”

Morgan felt England’s ODI batting had taken “a backward step” in Australia while its bowling had strengthened in the past year. “You can win a lot of games certainly with the bat, but restricting how many you chase down or controlling a game with the ball is so powerful.”

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