Former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes England “haven’t got a hope in hell” of winning the Ashes if all-rounder Ben Stokes is sidelined following a street brawl outside a Bristol nightclub.
Stokes, vice-captain of the test side, was named in England’s 16-man squad for the Ashes tour starting in November but was suspended on Thursday until further investigation into the incident. With his match winning abilities with both bat and ball, Stokes has emerged as the most valuable player for England in recent times.
“They can’t win without him Stokes for a number of reasons,” Chappell told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“He is probably one of those players inspired by playing against better teams and again that has a flow on effect to the fellas that don’t have that sort of confidence” he added.
