Stokes cuts short NZ stay to return to England

CHRISTCHURCH: England all-rounder Ben Stokes has ended his brief New Zealand cameo and is returning to England “for family reasons”, Canterbury cricket officials confirmed on Saturday.

Stokes has been playing for Canterbury, his New Zealand birth province, for the past month while waiting to learn if he would be cleared to join the England side in the Ashes series in Australia.

In a brief statement, Canterbury Cricket chief executive Jez Curwin said Stokes was leaving for “family reasons”, with his wife and young family back in England.

“Ben has been great around the club, the team and the staff. We can’t fault his attitude or his all-round contribution in his time with us and we are sorry that he couldn’t stay with us for longer,” Curwin said.

The 26-year-old Stokes has been banned from international duties while police investigate his alleged role in a fight outside a nightclub in Bristol three months ago.