Ben Stokes to face England Cricket hearing despite court acquittal

After the fracas in Bristol, Stokes was stripped of his position as vice-captain of an England Test side and also missed England's Ashes tour of Australia

The Bristol brawl case continues to haunt England all-rounder Ben Stokes as he will be appearing in an internal English cricket hearing on Wednesday. He was earlier acquitted of a criminal charge of affray at a trial in August following the incident in Bristol, southwest England, in September 2017. But he has still been charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Stokes along with English batsman Alex Hales, who was with him during the altercation but did not face a criminal charge, are due to appear before a Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearing starting on Wednesday.

The Role of CDC

The CDC, which is expected to announce its decisions on Friday, is responsible for all aspects of discipline covered by the ECB's rules, regulations and directives. It could decide Stokes' fate, who has been punished enough already. After the fracas in Bristol, Stokes was stripped of his position as vice-captain of an England Test side skippered by close friend Joe Root and also missed England's Ashes tour of Australia.

Coach’s Trust in Stokes

England head coach Bayliss hopes he will not miss any more cricket. He said, “I hope he's available for our next game”, as he doesn’t want Stokes banned from any part of England's tour of the West Indies starting next month.

Stokes scored 187 runs at 31.16 and took five wickets at an average of 20.40 during England's recent 3-0 Test series win in Sri Lanka while also holding several slip catches in a series dominated by spin bowlers. The 27-year-old's ability to make runs when they were most needed by his side while generating pace from often docile pitches enabled him to make telling contributions.