Days after England cricketer Ben Stokes’ arrest over a brawl at a nightclub in Bristol, the Sun has released a video which purportedly shows the England vice-captain throwing punches at two men. The England and Wales Cricket Board has also said that they have seen the video where a ‘person looking similar to Ben Stokes is seen punching another man.’
Stokes was later arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and released under police investigation. Hales was called to Bristol on Tuesday and interviewed by police. Sources claim Stokes was acting out of self defence.
An ECB spokesman said: “We have seen this footage for the first time tonight. There is an ongoing police investigation, which will look at all available evidence, and we do have to respect that process.”
In the hazy video, a man appears to have a bottle in his hand while the England all-rounder throws punches on two men. The video is about one-minute long and Stokes can be seen throwing numerous punches. “Enough, Stokes” can be heard in the video, possibly from Stokes’ England team-mate Alex Hales who was with him on that night.
Speaking for the first time after the Stokes arrest, Bayliss was asked if he was happy that the players were out drinking until 2.30am. He told Sky Sports: “Definitely not. They are professionals. The other night a few guys being out was very unprofessional in the middle of a series.”
“I don’t think right now is the time to comment on what might happen from a disciplinary point of view,” Strauss said when asked if Stokes would be vice-captain in Australia. “Right at the moment what I am doing is speaking to the players individually to get their account of what went on on Sunday night. There is a disciplinary protocol that is in place as part of their conditions of employment. We need to follow that for all players who may be subject to disciplinary proceedings, including Ben.”
