Ben Stokes: Difficult decision and illogical, say Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton

Ben Stokes is now being considered for England selection and could make his international return in the T20I tri-series fixture against New Zealand on February 13, live on Sky Sports.

Stokes, absent from England duty, including the Ashes defeat in Australia, since being arrested outside a nightclub in Bristol in September, was charged with affray on Monday and will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

But the all-rounder may line up for England at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington next month. We asked Sky Sports experts Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton for their reaction…

NASSER HUSSAIN – ‘An incredibly difficult decision’

It was an incredibly difficult decision to make for the ECB and I don’t envy them – they were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t. They have a person who has not been found guilty of anything in court of law and is going to contest the charge which means it is going to go on longer.

It seems odd that when he wasn’t charged with anything he was not allowed to play for England and now that he has been charged with affray he is available, but you are innocent until proven guilty. It is a very complicated matter and they are saying this is going to drag on so long they are going to let him be available.

The ECB have to take a lot of things into the equation – the duty of care to the game, for a start. Do they want someone like Stokes, who has allegedly been involved in that sort of incident, to carry on playing?

They also have a duty of care to the individual – Ben must have been through hell in the last few months and don’t think you are going to quietly sneak into New Zealand. It is an unforgiving place.

In the back of his mind he is going to have the fact that he has been charged with a very serious crime, so the selection panel have to put that in the equation. Is he fit mentally to perform at the highest level?

Will the media circus allow him to perform? Is it a risk worth taking? As a cricketer, there is no debate that he walks into any England side.

I’m not convinced the ECB could have handled the situation any differently. You can’t have Stokes, under investigation, taking part in the Ashes – it was a no-no for me. England would have been a better team with him in it but with head-butt gate and people throwing beer over each other it would have become an absolute media circus, out of control.

The ECB did the right thing by taking him out of the firing line and looking after him.

MIKE ATHERTON – ‘Illogical’

It seems illogical in certain respects given that they essentially suspended him for the last two or three months, since the event in Bristol, and are now allowing him to play, even though the CPS decision has still got some time to run. So it’s hard to square the two positions. You’d think there would be some consistency shown all the way through.

Either you let him play for the past two or three months or you continue with the policy of what has happened up until now, with the effective suspension. It seems illogical to change course at this point and I think most people would find it hard to square the two positions.

There is going to be scrutiny whenever he comes back. Knowing Stokes, he is going to be thrilled to be allowed to play again but he’ll obviously have to get fit and get some practice in.

He’s only had that short amount of time in New Zealand, while the Ashes were going on, so he’ll have to get himself in the right kind of physical shape and mental frame of mind to play. But he’ll be desperate to get back.

(c) Sky News 2018: Ben Stokes: Difficult decision and illogical, say Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton