Black Caps coach Mike Hesson says the prospect of England all-rounder Ben Stokes gearing up to play domestic cricket for Canterbury during his trip to New Zealand will only benefit the local competition.
Hesson told reporters today he believes Stokes' participation wouldn't just benefit him in a possible whirlwind return to the England Ashes squad, but players here looking to put their cases forward for Black Caps selections.
"From a cricket point-of-view, he's a world class player and it would add a lot of talent to the competition," he said.
"Certainly, if players perform well against Ben it shows us that they're performing well against the best so if it improves the standard of the competition, which I'm sure it would, it's great."
The New Zealand-born cricketer is due to arrive in Christchurch today to visit family after he was stood down from playing international cricket by the English Cricket Board.
The interim suspension comes as an investigation continues into his involvement in a Belfast nightclub brawl earlier this year - the ECB have declared it was waiting for that process to be finalised before deciding on any further disciplinary measures.
Should UK police drop their investigation against Stokes, the 26-year-old would then be free to play the remainder of the Ashes series in Australia with valuable game time with Canterbury under his belt.
However, Canterbury cricket have yet to confirm whether Stokes will play for them.
Stokes could potentially turn out for defending one-day champions against Otago on Sunday in Rangiora.
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