Moeen Ali insists England can win next month's Ashes series with or without their vice-captain Ben Stokes.
England named Stokes in their 16-man squad on Wednesday, despite his arrest two days earlier on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm at the end of a night out in Bristol in the middle of a one-day series.
After a video published on The Sun's website, which allegedly showed him throwing a series of punches in a street fight outside a nightclub, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Stokes will not be considered for selection until further notice.
Thoughts inevitably turned to November 23's series opener and England's mission impossible if they travel minus a player who has hit six centuries and taken 95 wickets in his 39 Tests to date.
His fellow allrounder Ali, however, does not see it like that.
Asked if England can still bring the Ashes back even if Stokes takes no part, he said: "Yes - otherwise I feel there's no point in going out there.
"If he's not there, then we're going to have to play well without him ... (but) I definitely feel we can still win.
"I think we all know how good a cricketer he is, and what he can bring to the table.
"He's one of the main players we have, and it would be great to have him out there ... but we'll see what happens."
Those decisions must be taken by ECB management in the coming weeks, and may well depend on the next stage of the police investigation.
Ali, meanwhile, has signed off for the season and will embark for Australia on October 28 at the top of his game.
"With the confidence I've got throughout the year, I feel that I can just go out and play the way I do," he said.
"I've just enjoyed every minute of this summer, and it's been great for my own cricket and development."
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