England pacer Chris Woakes is happy from Ben Stokes‘ arrival in New Zealand. He looked very optimistic and says his teammates were unaware of this.

The flamboyant all-rounder is not playing with his team in the Ashes Down Under after receiving a suspension from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He was involved in a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol, which led him to the jail. The Avon and Somerset Police are doing an investigation in his case and he cannot play for the national team until they give him a clean chit.

Meanwhile, he landed in New Zealand on Wednesday to visit his parents at his birthplace. When he was seen at the Heathrow Airport, there were rumors that he is flying to join his team in Australia. But ECB marked a full stop over such news and cleared the clouds over his trip.

Talking about him, Woakes said “We’ve all seen that he’s been training indoors and indoor practice can only get you so far. So the fact that he might be getting some cricket out in New Zealand is good for him. We had no inkling whatsoever. It was news to us as well.”

“He balances the team perfectly, batting at six, bowling overs. He’s a fast bowler as well; can touch 90 miles an hour when he wants to. Having Ben Stokes in any team makes a team better,” Woakes quoted to Sky Sports News.

England is 1-0 down in the ongoing Ashes and they are hoping to turn the things around in Adelaide’s Day-Night Test, which will commence from December 2.