England all-rounder Ben Stokes has signed for New Zealand side Canterbury.
Stokes, 26, was arrested in September on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm following an incident in Bristol.
The England and Wales Cricket Board have made him unavailable to play for England and will not review that stance until a decision has been made on whether to charge him.
That will not be taken for several weeks, so he seems unlikely to play in the Ashes series against Australia.
However, he is not barred from playing domestic cricket in any country.
Speculation that Stokes could be joining England in Australia arose when he was pictured at Heathrow airport with his cricket kit on Monday.
It was later revealed that Stokes was visiting New Zealand, the country of his birth, to see his family.
On the same day, Canterbury confirmed they had been approached by representatives of the Durham man, who has now signed as their overseas player.
He could feature for the first time in a 50-over game against Otago on Sunday, which coincides with day two of England’s second Test against Australia in Adelaide.
“While Ben awaits the outcome of an investigation underway in the UK, he wants to maintain his fitness and his connection with the game,” said Canterbury director of cricket Gary Stead.
“He is a brilliant all-round player and we are really pleased to have secured one of the world’s best for our domestic competition.”
Though the ECB granted preliminary permission on Friday for Stokes to play abroad, it was not aware that he was travelling to New Zealand on Monday.
Stokes was arrested for his part in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub following England’s victory over West Indies in the third one-day international.
On Wednesday, Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that a man suffered a fractured eye socket during the altercation.
Earlier in November, Canterbury batsman Ken McClure stood down from representative cricket after pleading guilty to injuring with reckless regard. He will be sentenced in January.
“While it would be easy to draw direct comparisons between the position taken recently with another player, we have to reiterate that in that situation the player was free to play until such time as he pleaded guilty to the charges,” said Canterbury chief executive Jez Curwin.
“We believe Ben has the right to be treated the same way as other players.”
Because Stokes is permitted to play domestic cricket, it opens up the possibility that he could feature in Australia’s Big Bash T20 tournament whilst the Ashes are still taking place.
He would need new permission from the ECB, as the No Objection Certificates that allow players to take part in overseas leagues are competition-specific.
Speaking before Stokes was confirmed as a Canterbury player, England fast bowler James Anderson said: “It’s good that he’s getting to play some cricket so that if the situation does change he could hopefully join up with us at some point.
“At the moment, it’s out of our hands and we have to focus on winning the next Test with the squad that we have here.”
England lost the first Test in the five-match series by 10 wickets in Brisbane. The second Test – the first day-night – will be played in Adelaide with a pink ball and starts at 04:00 GMT on Saturday.
