London: Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following a late-night street brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol which took place in September 2017.
The independent cricket discipline commission (CDC) was tasked with leading an internal investigation into the incident. Each player has been charged with two counts of breaching ECB directive 3.3, which states: “No participant may conduct themselves in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”
Stokes denied a charge of affray and was cleared following a seven-day trial last month. His teammate, Hales, was with Stokes during the altercation but was not charged.
The cricketer, missed the second Test against India last month because of his trial but was recalled for the third match of the series following his acquittal.
The incident outside the nightclub saw England eventually decide against playing him in the 2017/18 Ashes, which they lost 0-4 after he had been removed from the position of Test vice-captain. The player returned to international duty during the post-Ashes tour of New Zealand.
The disciplinary panel hearing will be held in here, December 5 and December 7. It will be held in private and chaired by former first class cricketer Tim O’Gorman, and take place between England’s two winter tours to Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
The CDC has a wide range of penalties open to it including issuing a caution, reprimand, a fine or suspension.
Agencies
