England’s Ben Stokes arrested in Bristol, to miss 4th ODI against West Indies

Ben Stokes, the England all-rounder, will not be available for the fourth one-day international match against West Indies after he was arrested on Monday morning in Bristol.  

Alex Hales will also miss Wednesday’s match after agreeing to return to Bristol and help police with their inquiries into the incident.

"Stokes was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning, 25 September, following an incident in Bristol,” read an ECB statement. “He was held overnight and released under investigation – without charge – late on Monday and will not join the team in London." 

"Hales, who was with Stokes on Sunday night, did not train this morning and has returned voluntarily to Bristol today to help police with their inquiries. You will understand that we cannot offer further detail at this stage but will provide any updates when we can."

According to media reports, 26-year old Stokes was arrested following a midnight bust-up with a member of public in Bristol after Sunday's win over the West Indies. It is understood Hales and Stokes were out in Mbargo in Bristol on the evening in question. According to police report of the incident, which names nobody, a 27-year old man suffered facial injuries while a 26-year old man was arrested for causing bodily harm and released under investigation. 

Stokes scored 73 runs from 63 balls during a 132-run partnership with Joe Root in Bristol on Sunday as England beat West Indies by 124 runs to take an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the ODI series.