England cricketer Ben Stokes has been found not guilty for his role in a street fight.

Stokes was on trial for knocking out two men in the southwest English city of Bristol last September. Stokes said he was acting in self-defence. 

As the verdicts were delivered at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday (August 14), Stokes closed his eyes and then looked up.

Stokes is back in England’s Test reckoning against India but must still wait to discover any further consequences following his affray acquittal. England added their premier all-rounder to a squad of 13 for the third Test, which starts on Saturday, after he was cleared at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday.

Stokes was the most expensive overseas recruit in the annual player auction for the Indian Premier League this year. The Rajasthan Royals paid $1.95 million for Stokes to play in the six-week Twenty20 competition.

Stokes was arrested in the early hours of 25 September last year after a night out with England teammates to celebrate victory over the West Indies in an international match earlier in the day. He had been identified by an off-duty police officer as the “main aggressor” in a fight which left the firefighter and former nightclub bouncer Ali with a broken eye socket and blood pouring from his face.

The criminal case led to Stokes missing some of England’s biggest matches, including the Ashes tour of Australia and the second test against India last week.

Ben Stokes should be welcomed back into the Test team after being cleared of affray on Tuesday (August 14), said former national captain Michael Vaughan.

Source: News Australia, Guardian

BDST: 1342 HRS, AUG 15, 2018
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