Kevin Pietersen has joined the chorus of opponents of Ben Stokes being permitted to join England's Ashes campaign as the suspended all-rounder had an underwhelming return to competitive cricket for the first time since his arrest in Bristol in September.
Stokes, turning out for Canterbury in New Zealand's 50-over Ford Trophy competition, lasted only seven balls for his two runs batting at No.4 before having his leg stump knocked over by Otago left-arm spinner Anaru Kitchen.
When Stokes later held his side after bowling his eighth wicketless over, it seemed that his body may do what the England and Wales Cricket Board have refused to and rule him out of the Ashes once and for all.
However, that scenario appeared to be put to rest when he was brought back into the attack for an over in the closing stages. He was unable to prevent his side suffering a three-wicket defeat in Rangiora, winding up with figures of 0-49 from his nine overs.
Stokes had told a local television network earlier that he had "been working hard back home, so it will be good to put into practice".
The 26-year-old has been given clearance by the ECB to play domestic cricket in New Zealand, where his family lives, while he awaits the outcome of a police investigation into a street fight in which he was shown on mobile phone footage to punch another man to the ground in a blow that left him with a fractured eye socket.
Stokes' case has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in Britain but the ECB has refused to shut the door on him making an appearance at some point of the Ashes, holding off on its own disciplinary process until learning whether he is charged or not.
Former Australian players such as Ryan Harris and Shane Watson have argued he should not be allowed to play in the series and Pietersen, England's fifth-highest Test run scorer, says he is of the same view.
"It would be wrong for Stokes to be on this tour," Pietersen told England's Mail on Sunday. "From what we've seen on that coverage, that bloke doesn't play for England again for a while.
"I like Ben Stokes and I think he's a brilliant cricketer but when you jump into the realm of being an international sportsman, there are do's and there are don'ts.
"The don'ts are swearing at somebody in public, telling someone to go away if they ask you for an autograph, being out at night in the middle of a Test match. What he did, it doesn't even fall into the don'ts. It is a lot worse than the don'ts."
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has been keen to stay out of the Stokes affair aside from a brief discussion with his ECB counterpart Tom Harrison but has watched the developments of the past week with interest.
"It's a quantum leap in terms of how much closer he is to us to where he was a week ago," Sutherland told ABC Grandstand.
"I don't know what to read into it but I know from an ECB perspective it's complicated, and whilst from time to time we've had issues with players in disciplinary-related activities we haven't had that overlay of a police investigation going on at the same time.
"If Ben Stokes is available to play, he's available to play. Our guys will be ready for it."
