The chances of Ben Stokes’ return in the ongoing Ashes series are paper thin despite his arrival in New Zealand to take a part in the domestic One-Day tournament to be match-ready if needed.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) handed him a provisional suspension since after his involvement in a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol, where he physically assaulted an adult with heavy punches on his face.

Amidst, the case has witnessed some progress on Wednesday but Police made it clear that it will take over weeks to get a final outcome of this case.

Earlier, he was seen traveling in full England kit from Heathrow airport, which led the expectations of fans that he is going to join his team in Australia for the Ashes.

However, it couldn’t have happened as ECB cleared the air over this news and immediately put a full stop while saying that he is making a private trip to New Zealand to meet his parents. Also, they gave him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to feature in the domestic cricket of New Zealand.

Meanwhile, England skipper Joe Root admitted that their preparations for the Ashes have badly halted due to his absence from the marquee battle. “That was what we thought as a group when we set off here. All of our planning and preparation has been without Ben so how we go about things won’t change. I would personally love to have him back. But these things are completely out of our hands and we just have to move on,” Root quoted to Daily Telegraph.

The three lions are 1-0 down in the five-match Test series against host Australia after a 10-wicket defeat in Brisbane. But they will try to gather as a unit and deliver a team performance in Adelaide Test.