ECB grants Stokes no objection certificate to enter IPL auction
Thursday 11 January 2018 08:14, UK
Ben Stokes has been replaced by Dawid Malan in England's one-day international squad to face Australia in January - and been given permission by the ECB to play in the IPL.
Stokes was named in England's squad for the series last month, even though he remains unavailable for international selection while he waits to see if he will be charged with causing actual bodily harm following a fracas outside a Bristol nightclub in September.
Malan is currently in Australia with England's Ashes squad and will remain with the side for the five-match ODI series, which begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 14.
The ECB also confirmed Stokes has been granted a no objection certificate to enter the lucrative Indian Premier League auction at the end of this month - Stokes played for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 after signing a £1.7million deal.
An ECB statement read: "England's selectors have added Dawid Malan to the one-day international squad for the series against Australia, starting on January 14.
"Ben Stokes will not travel with the group of players leaving the UK on January 2, pending CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) advice on the incident in Bristol in September.
"Should ECB receive formal confirmation that he has either, a) been charged or, b) will face no charges, the ECB board would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability to represent England at that stage.
"ECB can also confirm that Ben Stokes has been given approval to enter the IPL draft and granted a no objection certificate (NOC)."
Stokes' situation will become clearer only when the Crown Prosecution Service, which began considering his case at the end of last month, advises police whether to charge him.
Only after the criminal case is concluded will a Cricket Discipline Commission rule on any further penalty for the 26-year-old, who has not played for his country since September 24.
Malan is uncapped in ODI cricket but made a fine impression on his Twenty20 debut last summer and has since gone on to establish himself in England's Test team - including with a maiden century in the third Ashes Test in Perth.
England's squad for the Twenty 20 tri-series, starting on February 3 against Australia and New Zealand, will be confirmed next week, with the squad for the spring Test series against New Zealand announced after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, which gets underway on Thursday.
