England will improve their chances of winning the Ashes by calling up Ben Stokes but Shane Watson says the suspended allrounder will never improve as a person if he doesn't learn that actions have consequences.
Stokes has landed in Christchurch, where he is expected to play domestic cricket for Canterbury on Sunday.
England's vice-captain touched down in his place of birth on Wednesday, where he was greeted at the airport by both parents and plenty of reporters as speculation builds he will be called across the Tasman to return for England in the third Ashes Test in Perth starting on December 14.
Stokes wouldn't answer any cricket questions while pushing a trolley that had among it his kit bag, only saying he was "looking forward to seeing mum and dad" and planned to "work on my golf swing".
UK newspaper The Times is reporting police are likely to announce within 48 hours the outcome of their investigation into Stokes' involvement in a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub.
If Stokes is cleared, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will convene an emergency meeting to settle on a punishment. The expectation is a backdated ban.
England are desperate for Stokes to feature in the Ashes and last week gave the suspended star permission to play cricket for the first time since he left a man hospitalised with facial injuries.
"The only way you learn as a person really is when there are strong consequences to mistakes you make," Watson told reporters in Sydney.
"I don't think he should be able to come and play, there needs to be a precedent set even for his own benefit."
Former England allrounder Ian Botham, speaking during a climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, took a different view.
"It'd be great if he does come out ... he's got out of England which is a good sign," Botham said.
"If there were real complications with the (police) procedure I doubt they'd have let him go."
Watson suggested England couldn't win the series without Stokes.
"England are down on confidence because he's not in the team," he said. "It's impossible to fill that void."
Watson and Usman Khawaja were among the four cricketers slapped with a one-Test ban for not submitting feedback during a tour of India in 2013.
Khawaja recalls the squad's mood amid the very public disciplinary process clearly.
"It certainly can have an effect," he told reporters in Adelaide, where the second Test starts on Saturday.
"Even someone like myself, who doesn't read the paper or go out of my way to look at social media during games, it's still always around."
Canterbury Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket are yet to rubber stamp Stokes' stint but the widespread expectation is they will and the 26-year-old could face Otago on Sunday in Rangiora.
The ECB claimed on Tuesday Stokes booked his trip privately but it quickly became apparent they'd arranged a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
