Ben Stokes left out of England squad for the ODI series against Australia

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been left out of England squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia in January. The cricketer is currently suspended by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over his alleged involvement in the street brawl outside Bristol nightclub in September. The selectors had picked him for the ODI series down under with a hope that the verdict on the matter might be revealed. The white-ball specialists are due to leave for the series on Monday and they had to leave out the young all-rounder.

Stokes and Alex Hales were suspended by ECB for their involvement in the ugly fight in Bristol during the One-Day International series against Windies. The former missed out on the ongoing Ashes due to his actions as Hales was cleared after few weeks. Also, Somerset and Avon Police have completed their investigation on the matter and are awaiting the verdict of the Crown Prosecution Service. They are yet to decide to whether to charge Stokes or not as he continues to remain suspended.

ECB announces replacement

ECB has announced Dawid Malan as the replacement for Ben Stokes for the five-match ODI series against Australia. Malan has been the find of the tour for England so far in the ongoing Ashes. He smashed a sensational century at the WACA in Perth and now has rightfully earned his place in the limited overs squad. The visitors have already lost the prestigious series and are still winless down under for last nine Test matches. The recently concluded fourth Test in Melbourne ended in a draw as the pitch was criticised a lot by the cricketing fraternity.

The limited-overs leg of the tour is all set to commence on January 14 in Melbourne at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). England and Australia will also play a T20I tri-series after the conclusion of the One-Day series involving New Zealand on February 3. The visiting side will be looking to make amends after losing the series in whites. But they will miss Stokes in the middle-over much like the Test side as well.

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