Ashes 2017: Trevor Bayliss writes off Ben Stokes' chances of joining up with England in Australia

Trevor Bayliss is nothing if not a realist, so it’s no surprise that England’s Australian coach has written off any faint hope that Ben Stokes might play a part in this winter’s Ashes series.

England have begun this tour of Australia without their vice-captain, star all-rounder and most influential on-field presence following the late-night brawl in Bristol in early September that sees him the subject of an ongoing police investigation.

The fact the incident occurred while Stokes was on international duty means that even at the conclusion of police business he will be subject to an internal England & Wales Cricket Board disciplinary investigation that will focus on just why he was out at 2.30am midway through a one-day series against West Indies.

While some have raised the prospect of the 26-year-old being parachuted into the touring party at some point during the series if both the police and ECB investigations are concluded quickly, Bayliss admits he has already written that scenario off.

“I have,” he said. “If he turns up it’s an absolute bonus. And if he did happen to turn up, I’m quite sure he would slip back in very easily.”

Asked when he thought Stokes might be available for selection again, Bayliss replied: “Haven’t got a clue. It’s totally out of our hands. We have just got on with preparing as best we can. The players have a very important, tough series coming up and they are totally focussed on winning it. They are concentrating on playing without him. We can’t worry about something we can’t control.

“If any team lose one of their better players it’s going to be upsetting to a certain degree. But we have time to smooth things out and find the right combination. We certainly wouldn't be here if we didn't think we could win without him.”

The fall-out from the Stokes controversy has forced England to ask themselves uncomfortable questions about their team culture and player behaviour.

To that end captain Joe Root and the rest of the Ashes squad got together with Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, last Friday to draw up rules regarding off-field behaviour in Australia.

The meeting, which took place at Lord’s with no team management present, ended with all agreeing to abide by a written code of conduct that includes measures such as informing team security every time they go on a night out and imposing an alcohol ban on all squad members 72 hours before any match.

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“The players have sat down, had a bit of a chat and come up with a few small rules and regulations, and a belief or agreement among themselves that they will be doing the right thing and looking after themselves,” said Bayliss. “There will be times when they are able to go out and have a few beers. It was just making sure in the two or three days before a game we are back in good time, not out late. That should just be the norm anyway.

“It’s a long tour, you can’t be cooped up in a hotel room for four months. It’s a case of being sensible and professional, that doesn’t change with set rules in place or not. Whatever rules and regs you have there’s a bit of a wake-up call. We would have preferred it not to be such a big wake up call.”

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Bayliss has every right to feel let down by his players in the wake of the Stokes incident, not least because it forced him to cut short his planned break back home in Australia at the end of the summer.

“It’s something you’d much rather not go through, that’s for sure,” he said. “It mucked our plans around a little bit, I was coming home for three weeks but had to go back [to England] for three days for meetings that were supposed to happen at the end of the season. From that point of view, it’s upset the programme. That’s a month ago now, but since we’ve been here there’s been no chatter about it.”

Even though England are preparing for life without Stokes on this tour, the relentless focus of the Australian media on the issue means they will face questions on the subject at every turn before the series begins in Brisbane on November 23.

“It’s something you’d much rather not have to deal with, but that’s life,” said Bayliss. “It’s happened, and we will have to answer those questions and get on with it. The Australian media will hammer away and try to put the pressure on in other areas as well. We have to try to deal with that and keep it separate from what we are doing on the practice field and in matches.”

As for the Ashes, Bayliss confirmed that Stokes’ place in the team will be taken by a bowler – either Steve Finn, Jake Ball or Craig Overton – and his absence will also see Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali moved up one place in the order to six and seven respectively.

“If any team lose one of their better players it’s going to be upsetting to a certain degree,” he said. “But we have time to smooth things out and find the right combination. We certainly wouldn’t be here if we didn't think we could win without him. Australia are beatable.”