West Indies Cricket Fans Forum
England says Ben Stokes available for selection for tri-series following charge
England allrounder Ben Stokes was cleared on Wednesday to resume his international career while he contests a charge of affray following a violent incident outside a nightclub in September.
Suspended by England while he was under investigation by police, the 26-year-old Stokes is now free to play for his country having been charged by prosecutors with an offence that could lead to a jail term if he is convicted.
With no date set for his court case, the England and Wales Cricket Board said "it would not be fair, reasonable or proportionate for Ben Stokes to remain unavailable for a further indeterminate period."
Former England captain Michael Atherton said the ECB's decision "seems illogical" and that "most people would find it hard to square the two positions."
Stokes, one of the world's leading cricketers in all formats, missed England's Ashes series in Australia and the start of the ODI series between the countries because of his provisional suspension by the ECB.
He went to New Zealand for a month to play for Canterbury in domestic limited-overs competitions and was given permission by the England team leadership to enter the draft for the lucrative Indian Premier League at the end of January. He was the costliest player in last year's IPL - Rising Pune Supergiant paid US$2.15 million for the powerful allrounder - and ended the competition as its Most Valuable Player.
Stokes was expected to join England's squad for Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in February, the ECB said.
"ECB fully respects the legal process," the governing body said in a statement, "and the player's intention to defend himself against the charge."
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Guyana Diaspora Forum
We have a large database of Guyanese worldwide. Most of our readers are in the USA, Canada, and the UK. Our Blog and Newsletter would not only carry articles and videos on Guyana, but also other articles on a wide range of subjects that may be of interest to our readers in over 200 countries, many of them non-Guyanese We hope that you like our selections.
It is estimated that over one million Guyanese, when counting their dependents, live outside of Guyana. This exceeds the population of Guyana, which is now about 750,000. Many left early in the 50’s and 60’s while others went with the next wave in the 70’s and 80’s. The latest wave left over the last 20 years. This outflow of Guyanese, therefore, covers some three generations. This outflow still continues today, where over 80 % of U.G. graduates now leave after graduating. We hope this changes, and soon.
Guyanese, like most others, try to keep their culture and pass it on to their children and grandchildren. The problem has been that many Guyanese have not looked back, or if they did it was only fleetingly. This means that the younger generations and those who left at an early age know very little about Guyana since many have not visited the country. Also, if they do get information about Guyana, it is usually negative and thus the cycle of non-interest is cultivated.
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