Ben Stokes not found guilty in Bristol night-club brawl

Ben Stokes hasn’t had the best of times of late in his cricketing career. Last year, he found himself involved in a brawl outside a night-club in Bristol last year in September. Subsequently, he was banned by the England Cricket Board (ECB) and his name was also withdrawn from the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia. He made his comeback in the Brits’ tour against New Zealand earlier this year.

Recently, he played in England’s opening Test against India in Birmingham. However, he missed the second Test at Lord’s as he had to attend a hearing at Bristol Crown Court. The trail went on and Stokes also didn’t find a place in the squad for the third Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham as well. Recently, it has been learned that Stokes hasn’t been found guilty in the affray as per reports in ESPNcricinfo.

What’s next for Stokes?

The jurors accepted that he was acting in self-defence and protecting Alex Hales, his English teammate and two gay men who threw punches at an Afghanistan war veteran 27-year-old Ryan Hale and a fire brigade worker. It took two hours and 40 minutes for the juror to come to a verdict. The Cricket Discipline Commission of the country’s cricket board will now conduct their own hearing.

While Stokes can represent England in their fourth Test against Virat Kohli’s men at The Rose Bowl, the ECB may keep him out of the spotlight at least till the end of the series. A cooling off period will then be provided to the tainted all-rounder and he may tour Sri Lanka later this year provided it isn’t considered too early. In that case, he may return next year in England’s tour of the West Indies in February.

Stokes played an important part in the first of the five-match Test series against India and picked up four wickets, which also included the wicket of Kohli, the Indian skipper. The 50-over World Cup is also scheduled to take place next year and the Canterbury-born cricketer would be desperate to hit the cricket pitch and contribute for his team.

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