Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes arrives for the hearing at the British court regarding his Bristol brawl case. Image Courtesy: Getty

Ben Stokes has told the police that two gay men thanked him for protecting them from homophobic abuse following a street brawl.

Stokes is standing trial at Bristol Crown Court accused of knocking out two other men outside a nightclub in Bristol last September.

The prosecution’s opening included allegations that Stokes had left Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale Hale unconscious. He had also called a nightclub doorman a ‘c***’ and mocked two gay men in a ‘derogatory’ way during the incident. The prosecutors also said that  Stokes was the “main aggressor” in the fight.

However, Stokes has come out with a different side of the story.  In a statement provided to police and heard in court on Wednesday, Stokes said he only stepped in after hearing two men being homophobic toward two other men.

Stokes said b“matters had become too serious to ignore and that I had to intervene.”

Interestingly, the cricketer himself is accused of earlier mocking the gay men outside the club. The prosecutors also claimed that Stokes had flicked a cigarette butt at them.

 

Ben Stokes Claims He Protected Gay Men In The Street Brawl
Ben Stokes in the court (Credits: AFP)

However, Stokes has denied taunting them, saying: they “thanked me for preventing them from being beaten up.”

Meanwhile, Stokes, who is missing the second Test against India, could miss the third Test too as the trial continues. Stokes had starred for England in the first Test against India at Edgbaston. It was Stokes’ spell that fired England to the thrilling win. The allrounder took three wickets including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli to give England the lead.

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Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes is likely to miss the third Test (Credits: Getty)

In his very first over on day four, he forced Kohli to make one mistake which sealed the visitors’ fate. Kohli played outside the line, slightly across it, with a slightly closed face and was pinned lbw. Three balls later, Stokes dismissed Mohammed Shami to put England well on top.

Hardik Pandya threatened to take the game close. However, Stokes fittingly closed the game by sending him back.

 

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