Ben Stokes pleads "not guilty" to charge of affray

Ben Stokes pleads "not guilty" to charge of affray

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England and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder, Ben Stokes, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray at a Bristol magistrate court. Stokes was overlooked for the Ashes last year and also the limited-overs series after being suspended from England duties due to the much publicized "Bristol brawl".

Hard-hitting all-rounder Ben Stokes found himself on the wrong side of things last September when he along with England cricketer Alex Hales was accused of starting a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol. The three defendants involved were detained in the early hours on 25 September last year after complaints of a disturbance in the Clifton Triangle area of the city - just hours after England had played an ODI against the West Indies.

The 26-year-old Durham all-rounder was charged with stirring up a fight in which a man allegedly suffered a broken eye socket. Stokes appeared in court for the first time today in response to being charged with affray as per Cricbuzz sources. Stokes, along with Ryan Hale aged 26 and 28-year-old Ryan Aslam Ali, have all pleaded not guilty to the charge of affray. The accused were all released on unconditional bail by Simon Cooper, the District Judge presiding over the case, and the first hearing will be at Bristol Crown Court on March 12.

The hearing will start after England complete their ODI series against New Zealand on March 9 where Stokes has been made available for selection for the Eoin Morgan-led side. Stokes will be traveling to New Zealand and will meet up with the team on February 16, almost 10 days before the first ODI match which is on 25 February, ECB confirmed today.

"Having entered his plea at Bristol Magistrates Court today, Ben Stokes will now travel to New Zealand to join the England squad. He departs tomorrow, Wednesday 14 February, and will arrive on Friday 16 February, ready to train with England teammates in Hamilton," an ECB spokesperson said.

Due to the accusations against him, Stokes missed the Ashes series, which hosts Australia comfortably won by a margin of 4-0, while he played domestic cricket in New Zealand for Canterbury Kings. Despite having not played for England since the incident, that occurred during the ODI series against Windies last summer, Stokes was once again the most expensive player in this year’s IPL auction and is due to play for the Rajasthan Royals who got him for £1.4 million ($1.9 million)

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