Johannesburg: Ben stokes has been given a thumbs up to enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) draft, though the England all-rounder has been ruled out of the One Day International (ODI) squad against Australia.
Meanwhile, Middlesex middle-order batsman Dawid Malan has been confirmed the replacement of stokes in the ODI squad.
Left-handed batsman Stokes, the former England vice-captain, remains in limbo due to the delay on a decision on whether or not he’ll be charged in the Bristol incident in September, which led to his arrest for allegedly inflicting bodily harm on a man.
A statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) read, “England’s selectors have added Dawid Malan to the one-day international squad for the series against Australia, starting on January 14.
The board, however, clarified that Stokes has been given a go-ahead to enter the IPL draft and may be added to the squad at a later stage if he is cleared of any wrongdoings in the Bristol Incident, reports Sport24.
“ECB can also confirm that Ben Stokes has been given approval to enter the IPL draft and granted a no objection certificate (NOC),” the ECB statement read.
“Should ECB receive formal confirmation that he has either, a) been charged or, b) will face no charges, the ECB board would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability to represent England at that stage,” ECB said.
Malan, who is yet to play in ODIs, established himself in the Twenty20 debut in July with a 44-ball 78 against South Africa and has impressed during the ongoing Ashes series with a maiden century at the WACA.
England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
ANI