Sir Ian Botham has criticised England's decision to leave Cumbrian Ben Stokes out of their Twenty20 match at his home ground.

Stokes, from Cockermouth, will not be involved when England host West Indies in a one-off T20 international on September 16 at Chester-le-Street, home of the all-rounder's county side, Durham.

The England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] have opted to rest Stokes and fellow all-rounder Moeen Ali with this winter's Ashes series in Australia looming.

But former England great Botham, who is also Durham's chairman, said in his Mirror column that it was a "kick in the teeth" for the county.

"Ben Stokes being stood down from the T20 international on his home ground has left me bitterly disappointed," Botham said.

"The ECB has decided that a T20 match for the world's most exciting player - and a local hero to boot - is a game too far so he won't be able to show his skills to the people of the north-east.

"Ben has never played an international match in front of his home crowd at Chester-le-Street and I know thousands of spectators were hoping to see him in an England shirt live for the first time."

Durham were relegated from Division One of the Specsavers County Championship and docked 48 points for the current season in October last year after accepting a financial bailout from the ECB.

Botham added: "After the time that we've had here, with the club being docked 48 points as well as all the rest, you do start to wonder why there has been another kick in the teeth.

"The ECB have said 'It was a collective decision between the management and the player in that Ben needed a break and it is just unfortunate that it is a one-off T20 at Durham'. Well, I don't believe for one minute that Ben wouldn't want to play in front of his home crowd.

"He is an ECB centrally contracted player and they decide when he plays and when he doesn't and that is fine. I am just bitterly disappointed for the public of the north-east."

But Stokes has been named in the 14-man England squad for the five One-Day Internationals against the Windies, while the Cumbrian is likely to be involved in the third and final Test match against the West Indies. That starts tomorrow at Lord's.