Banned Stokes ‘a real hero’
KIWI-BORN, England cricketer Ben Stokes may have been handed an Ashes lifeline, with two gay men coming forward to praise him for defending them against abuse.
The allrounder has been suspended by England since he was caught on video last month punching two men outside a nightclub in Bristol.
There had been reports he had been coming to the aid of two gay men, and Kai Barry and Billy O’Connell have now told UK newspaper The Sun they are grateful to Stokes for stepping in to defend them.
‘‘He was a real hero,’’ said O’Connell. ‘‘Kai feared he could be attacked. If Ben hadn’t intervened it could have been a lot worse for us.’’
Barry and O’Connell told The Sun that they met Stokes and his England teammate, Alex Hales, in the Mbargo nightclub, following an England one-day win over the West Indies last month.
As they were leaving, they heard shouts of ‘‘batty boys,’’ a homophobic slur, and that was when it all kicked off.
‘‘I’m not a violent person. And that’s probably why Ben Stokes stood up for me,’’ said Barry to The Sun. ‘‘He probably knew from the way I was speaking to them that I’m a friendly person. Towards the end of the fight it all got a bit scary so we walked off.’’
Barry and O’Connell said they became aware of Stokes’ background only when they received a visit from a policeman this week.
‘‘It was a complete shock,’’ said Barry. ‘‘Apparently people thought we didn’t exist and that the story about Ben defending two gay men was made-up. But here we are as proof.’’
Stokes broke his little finger in the fight, and after spending the night in the local police cells, he was released pending an investigation. Police are yet to charge him with anything.
Both players have been suspended indefinitely by England, which has left Stokes’ participation in the Ashes series, which begins next month in Brisbane, in doubt.