English star all-rounder Ben Stokes might miss the second Test against India at Lord’s, beginning from August 9.
The 27-year-old cricketer is scheduled to appear at Bristol Crown Court on Monday for affray charges following a brawl in September last year. He has pleaded not guilty and vowed to clear his name in court.
Even the video of the incident also surfaced on the social media, where Stokes could be seen landing several punches on a man.
The incident has already troubled Stokes enough in the recent past. He couldn’t feature in the Ashes 2017-18 where England faced a humiliating series defeat. However, later he was allowed to resume his national duty in January against New Zealand in the Test series.
Despite his comeback, the English team couldn’t rephrase their performance in whites. They lost the rubber against the Kiwis and drew the 2-match series against Pakistan.
Finally, they received the respite in Birmingham against India on Saturday. Stokes played the key role in dismantling the Indian batting line-up, ultimately defending a minimal total of 194. He picked up 4 scalps in the fourth innings including the key wicket of Virat Kohli.
But his upcoming trial on Monday is likely to keep him away from the second game at the Lord’s. In case if the hearing stretches a bit longer, he might not feature in the third and the fourth test as well.