England cricketer and one of the best all-rounders in world cricket at the moment, Ben Stokes, has been charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with affray, in relation to the Bristol pub brawl incident that took place over three months back.
After a night of partying, Ben Stokes, teammate Alex Hales and others were involved in a fist fight outside a pub in Bristol, which led to the arrest of Stokes for the night and the suspension of him and Hales from the England cricket team. You can read that full story here. The night turned out to be a very crucial one in the career of this 26-year old cricketer.
The incident led to him losing his place in the Ashes squad and even though he was initially selected for the ODI series, he was withdrawn from that as well. Investigations were on since the incident on 25th September till today, and he has finally been charged with affray, meaning the act of fighting and violence in a public place that disturbs peace.
Stokes will now have to face trial at Bristol Magistrates’ Court at a later announced date, along with two other men namely Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, of the similar ages. “Three men have today been charged in connection with an incident of disorder on Queens Road, Bristol on September 25 last year,” said Avon and Somerset Police in a statement. The charges can lead to upto 3 years of jail time.
“ECB is aware that Ben Stokes has been charged with affray in relation to an incident in Bristol in September. The board will now convene within 48 hours to decide on Ben Stokes’ availability to represent England at this stage.”
Apart from these international tours, there is also the IPL auction which takes place at the end of January and it’ll be interesting to see if he will be allowed to participate in the popular T20 league. Stokes took to Instagram to express his feelings and say thank you for the support from fans and family:
