‘England have no chance in Ashes without Stokes’

SYDNEY: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes England “haven’t got a hope in hell” of winning the Ashes if all-rounder Ben Stokes is sidelined following a street brawl outside a Bristol nightclub.

Stokes, vice-captain of the test side, was named in England’s 16-man squad for the Ashes tour starting in November but was suspended on Thursday until further investigation into the incident.

“They can’t win without him (Stokes) for a number of reasons,” Chappell told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph“Obviously his ability is the main thing, but also, he’s a match-winning player and those sort of players drag the rest along with them and make them better.

“He’s probably one of those players inspired by playing against the better teams and again that has a flow on effect to the fellas that don’t have that sort of confidence. I don’t think they’ve got a hope in hell without him.”

While the Australian side may consider the suspension of Stokes a significant boost to their chances, former captain Allan Border believes the five-match Test series would be spoiled without the firebrand all-rounder.