Stokes reinstated to England squad

Ben Stokes has been immediately reinstated into the England Test squad following the 'not guilty' verdict at his trial for affray in Bristol.

England were without Stokes for the second Test against Lords where his replacement Chris Woakes hit a century.

The ECB yesterday named an unchanged squad for Saturday's third Test against India at Trent Bridge, but have now added the New Zealand-born allrounder following the conclusion of his trial.

"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)," an ECB spokesperson said.

"Ben Stokes will now join the England squad for the third Test against India, which starts at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

"Considerable detail has been heard in this week-long court case and, in due course, there will be a range of matters for the Board to fully consider."

The CDC is expected to convene within 48 hours and is expected to deliver its verdict within a week. The CDC operates independently from the England and Wales Cricket Board but it is funded by the administrators.

Stokes was found not guilty of affray by a jury in less than three hours of deliberations on Tuesday following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The 27-year-old – whose co-defendant Ryan Ali was also found not guilty – had been charged following a brawl hours after England played the West Indies in a one-day international in Bristol, southwest England, in September last year.

At the start of the trial the prosecution tried to amend the indictment and charge Stokes with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm but this was rejected by the judge.

And halfway through the trial Stokes's legal team attempted to have the case against him dropped but this was also refused by the judge.

Stokes said in his testimony last Friday he had a "significant memory blackout" but he was "absolutely not" an angry man who had lost all control.

Stokes said he intervened because 28-year-old Ali and his friend Ryan Hale – who had been acquitted earlier in the trial – had directed alleged homophobic abuse at gay men William O'Connor and Kai Barry as they walked away from Mbargo nightclub.

Stokes went out celebrating after beating the West Indies in a match in Bristol on September 24.

Stokes said he would have had a bottle of beer after the match, two or three pints at the hotel, five or six vodka and lemonades and then "potentially had some Jagerbombs" in Mbargo.

Ali who was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured eye socket said in his evidence he remained in the care of a surgeon and still suffered from double vision.

He said his memory of the night was "incomplete" due to his head injury.

Ali recalled walking along the street with Hale, Barry and O'Connor, "having a laugh and some banter and the next thing I remember is having a tall blond man charging towards me". 

"I just didn't want any trouble so I was backing away, trying to retreat."

Stokes has missed six Tests – including all five Ashes Tests last summer – seven ODIs and four T20s for England due to the fallout from the Bristol incident.

Former captain Michael Vaughan said Stokes should be welcomed back into the Test team after being cleared of affray.

Vaughan said Stokes had been punished enough over the 11 months since a late night excursion in Bristol following a one-day win over the West Indies led to him being charged with affray.

"I think the fact he missed the whole of the Winter in Australia is punishment enough for Ben Stokes," tweeted Vaughan.

"I personally think now he has been proven to be Not Guilty he should be allowed to play."

Stokes's England teammate Jonny Bairstow, one of several players who were out with Stokes earlier that evening, said it was great news on both a personal and sporting front.

"I am really happy," he told Sky Sports.

"It has been a long 10 months for him and his family.

"Hopefully we will see him back in an England shirt soon as we saw the impact he had at Edgbaston," added Bairstow, referring to Stokes taking four wickets in India's second innings including the crucial one of Virat Kohli for 51 as England won a tight first Test by 31 runs.