The Story
Ben Stokes and Alex Hales were handed ‘indefinite bans’ by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following their involvement in the Bristol nightclub brawl the past week.
While Hales is only guilty of being present at the incident scene, Stokes got arrested for causing bodily harm to a man who was reportedly a former soldier. The star all-rounder, along with teammate Hales, spent a night in the police station after he got arrested for punching a man outside a nightclub.
A video released by The Sun later shows a few people trying to stop a furious Stokes and shouting: “Enough, Stokes.” He threw 15 punches in the one-minute footage after being provoked by a bottle holding man. The matter is currently under police investigation, and the ECB is planning to set their inquiry to decide on Stokes’ immediate future.
Starc Acknowledges Stokes’ Importance
Mitchell Starc, one of the key men in Australia’s Ashes campaign, gave his opinion regarding the entire Stokes incident which has now may lead to the star all-rounder missing the tour party later on this year.
The left-arm fast bowler asserted Stokes absence would affect balance in the English squad and make them weaker overall while expressing if importance to other key names in the side as well.
“Everyone in world cricket knows how good Ben is. If he does come, we know how good a player he is, and he makes that team much more balanced. If he’s not there, it’s a big blow for them. But he’s not the be all and end all of their team. There’s plenty of other guys we need to worry about. I’m sure we’ll assess that when that does happen when they get on the plane.”
Starc named other star all-rounders – Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes – as potential threats as well.
“Some experienced bowlers, some experienced batsmen at the top. They bat quite deep as well when you’ve got Moeen Ali coming in at No.8 and (Chris) Woakes probably coming in at 9. It’s not just about one guy,” he added.