It looks like the Ashes is slipping away from the hands of England after they lost the Adelaide Test as well. Experts were saying only Ben Stokes can give them the balance to win the prestigious series Down Under, but the dynamic all-rounder himself seems to be out of touch.

Stokes is playing domestic cricket in New Zealand, where he is going through a lean form. He scored 34 runs with the bat apart from grabbing a catch, while he, again, failed to dismiss any batsman with the ball.

In his first match for Canterbury, the southpaw scored only 2 runs and couldn’t manage any wicket, which marked his return to competitive cricket.

He has been suspended from playing international cricket by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after his involvement in a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol on 24 September. However, the Avon and Somerset Police passed his case to prosecutors last week, who will decide whether he would be charged or not.

Earlier, ECB named him in the Ashes squad but Stokes took his name back and the board roped Steven Finn in the team.