Ben Stokes

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It appears that Ben Stokes may have had good reason to get involved in the altercation outside that club ...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-5025675/Gay-friends-praise-Ben-Stokes-defending-them.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

If the police accept these guys' evidence, he should be cleared.

And if that's what he did, good on him. :aok:

[Allant1981]

im all for defending peolple but were one of the guys not being kicked in the head when he was on the ground? possibly not by stokes but you still dont do that, someone could have died

[Tobias Funke]

im all for defending peolple but were one of the guys not being kicked in the head when he was on the ground? possibly not by stokes but you still dont do that, someone could have died

From the footage available I didn’t see Stokes kick anyone in the head. He did punch someone to the ground heavily though and that could have caused serious injury.

There was also talk of Stokes claiming self defence as one guy was threatening him with a glass bottle. You can clearly see the bottle rolling along the ground after the first bit of fighting. I’m sure you can see it in the guys hand beforehand too.

He will eventually be on the plane to Brisbane but not without a last chance warning about future conduct.

[hibee62]

Looks like he’ll avoid a more lengthy ban as a result of this evidence, but I don’t think the ECB are happy with him being out in the first place. It was mid-series and it attracts trouble whether stokes (and/or Hales) is in the wrong or not.

For that reason I can’t see him playing the first one or two tests, maybe after that though - like warner in 2013.