- England have yet to decide if they can take Ben Stokes to the Ashes
- Stokes remains subject to a police investigation after his arrest last week
- He was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in a fight in Bristol
- The 2.35am incident has raised questions over England players’ conduct
Jimmy Anderson says England’s cricketers will hold talks over how they deal with their down-time at the Ashes in Australia in the wake of the saga over Ben Stokes’ arrest last week.
England have yet to decide if they can take Stokes to the Ashes while he remains subject to a police investigation after his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub.
The 2.35am incident has raised questions over England players’ conduct, following a drinking session midway through a One Day International series against the West Indies.
Ben Stokes has been suspended by the ECB after footage emerged of him appearing to fight
Elder statesman Anderson, a veteran of six Ashes’ series, says the touring squad will sit down to discuss the use of their time away from the field when they head Down Under next month.
‘I’m not sure how things are going to go,’ the Lancashire bowler said.
‘We’re going to speak as a team about how to go about things when we get out there.
This Ashes tour could have cemented Stokes’ position as one of the greatest players of his era
‘At the minute we’re just trying to prepare for the cricket that we’re going to play out there; try to get ourselves in the best shape possible to compete with Australia.’
England will fly to Australia at the end of this month and Anderson, 35, has urged his team-mates to ignore the Stokes saga and knuckle down as individuals in the build-up this month.
Speaking at the PCA Awards at London’s Roundhouse, he added: ‘What we need to do as a team, whether things happen or not, the next few weeks is about getting yourself ready — as an individual — to play in an Ashes series.
‘I’ll be bowling at Lancashire, in the gym trying to stay fit and just getting ready for that challenge when I get over there.
Stokes (pictured here with England team-mate Jimmy Anderson) was arrested in Bristol
‘That’s all you can do, prepare yourself as an individual and then when we’re over there we can galvanise as a team.’
Surrey batsman Mark Stoneman, set to open alongside Alastair Cook this winter, added: ‘I can’t influence anything that’s gone on and I just have to go about my work as best as I can.
‘However it pans out if he was to be missing, we’d be losing a fantastic cricketer in three facets of the game but at the same time we’ve got some fantastic cricketers who are a part of that squad and everyone will be doing their utmost to win this Ashes series.’