England’s hopes of winning the Ashes are gone, and so is Ben Stokes.
The suspended English all-rounder has ended his brief stint with Canterbury cricket club in New Zealand, and will head back to the UK.
The club announced on Saturday that Stokes will head home for “family reasons”, saying they were “sorry that he couldn’t stay with us for longer”.
England’s lacklustre bowling attack had sparked calls for the all-rounder to rejoin the squad, but instead Stokes will be home for Christmas.
It will take him further away from his English teammates, and rules out any chance of the troubled star rejoining England for the remaining two tests.
In a statement put out through the New Zealand club, Stokes said he had “thoroughly enjoyed training and playing with Canterbury”.
“Everyone here has gone out of their way to make me feel at home. It’s a wonderful club and I couldn’t have asked for any more from my time here,” he said.
Stokes joined Canterbury after he was suspended by England following his arrest in Bristol in September.
He enjoyed mixed success in his attempts to find form in the 50-over and 20-over New Zealand domestic competition.
He was bowled for two on his club debut, and run out having faced just one ball in another.
However, he also managed to score 93 off 47 balls in a T20 match.
“He leaves with our gratitude for his time with us and for what he added to the squad during his time in Canterbury,” the club’s chief executive Jez Curwin said.
“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, but Ben knows that he will always find a welcome here should the opportunity arise for him to return.”
