Ashes 2017: Ben Stokes on way to New Zealand and in talks with Canterbury after 'England call-up' frenzy

Ben Stokes is on his way to New Zealand to play domestic cricket, raising hopes that he may yet join up with the England squad at some stage of the Ashes series.

The all-rounder currently is in talks with the Canterbury regional side, and if a deal is arranged he could yet play as soon as this Sunday, in a 50-over match against Otago.

Stokes has not played cricket since being arrested in September after getting involved in a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol.

He is currently suspended and has missed the start of the Ashes tour as he waits to hear whether Bristol and Avon Police decide to charge him with an offence.

But after being photographed at Heathrow Airport on Monday night with his cricket kit, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed that he was on his way to New Zealand - the country of his birth - to train and to see family. The ECB issued Stokes with his No Objection Certificate - essentially giving him their blessing to play abroad - on Friday.

Contrary to some reports, there has been no indication from the police that a decision on the Stokes case is imminent. Certainly the top brass at the ECB are none the wiser on the matter, and indeed were unaware of Stokes’s trip - which he organised himself - until the very last minute. Nevertheless, it is a bold move by Stokes, acclimatising himself to the time difference and placing him just a few hours away from Australian turf should England request his services at any point.

In order for that to happen, a number of hurdles would need to be cleared. Stokes would need to be exonerated by Bristol and Avon Police, at which point the ECB’s own disciplinary process would kick in, the board meeting within 48 hours to decide on an appropriate cricketing punishment. Yet any arrangement that allowed Stokes to play in the Perth Test - which begins on 14 December - would clearly open the ECB to criticism, both in England and Australia.

The more intriguing possibility is that England unilaterally decide to lift Stokes’s suspension during the Ashes series, deferring any internal disciplinary procedure until the new year. Technically, Stokes has yet to be charged with a crime, and the more time passes, the less likely it becomes that Stokes will be required to attend a court date during the Ashes series itself, even if charges are issued.

As a very general rule of thumb, it can take at least a couple of weeks from charges being brought to ‘first listing’ in magistrates’ court, which might just allow Stokes to play in the Test series before flying home for his court hearing. Yet picking a player who has been charged with assault would attract a high level of hostility, much of it presumably directed at Stokes himself when he takes the field.

For all the conjecture, therefore, Stokes missing the entire Ashes series remains the likeliest outcome. And certainly Australia coach Darren Lehmann was unperturbed by the latest developments when he faced the media in Adelaide on Tuesday. “You’d have to ask the ECB about that,” he said. “He’s a good player, but I really don’t know what’s going on. I’d rather you were asking about Australian players.