Ben Stokes may miss out on the entire of England's Test summer this year

English all-rounder Ben Stokes has been going through a rough patch as far as his cricketing career is concerned. He got himself involved in a brawl at a nightclub back in September 2017 and thereafter, he was provisionally banned by the England Cricket Board (ECB). He didn’t play the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia and only made a comeback during the Brits’ tour of New Zealand earlier this year.

The Canterbury-born player played the first of the five-match Test series against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham. However, he couldn’t play the next Test at Lord’s for the reason that he had to attend a hearing at Bristol Crown Court surrounding last year’s affray. To add to his agony, the 27-year-old may miss out on the rest of England’s Test summer this year as per reports in Mail Online.

When will Stokes return?

Recently it was confirmed that he won’t be a part of the third Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The trial, which is currently underway, isn’t expected to end before Wednesday and England’s squad will be announced 24 hours prior to that. The verdict is likely to come forth in the middle of the week after which the Cricket Discipline Commission of the ECB will conduct their own hearing.

Even if he isn’t found guilty, the cricket board may keep him out of the spotlight, at least till the end of the series against Virat Kohli’s men. A cooling-off period might free him to go on the winter tours of Sri Lanka provided it’s not considered too soon. In that scenario, Stokes is likely to don the national colours next year when England tour the West Indies in February and March.

Stokes played an important part in the opening Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. He picked up a couple of crucial wickets and then went to notch a four-wicket-haul in the second innings. He would now be desperate to represent his country at the highest level, especially with the 50-over World Cup to be played next year in his home country.

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