Ben Stokes should not play the Ashes: Shane Watson

England all-rounder Ben Stokes is very much in the news as he spends time with his family in New Zealand. Stokes can join the England squad for the Ashes only after getting a verdict in his favour after the completion of the police investigation.  The cricketer was suspended after he was arrested for causing bodily harm outside a nightclub in Bristol, two months ago.

Stokes is likely to sign a contract with New Zealand side Canterbury and play in their state competition. But former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson feels that Stokes should not be allowed to play in the Ashes series. Watson feels that Stokes should learn from his mistake.

Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, the 36-year-old  said, “I don’t think he should be able to come and play. There needs to be a precedent set, even for his own benefit, to be able to learn from his mistakes that he has and realise that there are consequences for your actions at times. The footage that you see – there’s no hiding nowadays with video phones, with CCTV footage.”

Stokes will grow: Watson

Watson added that a timely suspension will help the cricketer grow. “The only way you learn as a person really is when there are strong consequences to mistakes you make, and you have to learn from and get better,” he said. The 36-year old added that a person must learn from his mistakes: “There’s no doubt he’ll come back even stronger from it, but you do have to learn from your mistakes at times.”

England low in confidence: Watson

“There’s no doubt that England are down on confidence because he’s (Stokes) not in the team. The quality and calibre and player that he is, the impact that he has with both bat and ball and also in the field, that’s a huge loss for England. It’s impossible to be able to fill that void. There’s no doubt that England are going to be trying to show the bravado that they have, but it’s just not going to be the same without him in the team,” he said.