Cleared of affray, Stokes returns in England squad for 3rd Test

Stokes was accused of punching Ryan Hale, to the ground and knocking out Ryan Ali, during an alleged brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol in September last year

Hours after walking out free from the Bristol court, all-rounder Ben Stokes found himself in the English squad for the third Test against India, starting from Saturday in Nottingham.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement on Tuesday, confirming the return of Stokes in the 3^rd Test.

“Now that the legal proceedings have concluded, the disciplinary process for Ben Stokes and Alex Hales can be scheduled by the Cricket Discipline Commission [CDC].

“Ben Stokes will now join the England squad for the third Specsavers Test against India, which starts at Trent Bridge on Saturday,” said an ECB spokesperson.

After Stoke’s inclusion, here’s how the English squad looks like:

Joe Root (capt), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Olliver Pope, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Jamie Porter, Ben Stokes

On Monday, ECB announced an unchanged 13-man squad for the upcoming game which didn’t feature Stokes as he was undergoing the trials. A day later, the 27-year-old all-rounder had a sigh of relief as he walked free from Bristol court after being found not guilty of affray following a fight outside a nightclub.

Stokes was accused of punching Ryan Hale, to the ground and knocking out Ryan Ali, during an alleged brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol in September last year.