Bandaged Ben shows off wedding dressing
Stokes relaxes with beer and cig at England star’s do
ENGLAND cricket hero Ben Stokes nurses a bandaged hand and a beer on a teammate’s wedding trip to France.
The 26-year-old all-rounder has kept a low profile while the late night brawl in which he allegedly threw punches is investigated.
Stokes joined Alex Hales – who was with him in Bristol that night – and other players in South West France, for fellow international Jason Roy’s marriage to Elle Moore.
He was also seen smoking a cigarette by a pool as the wedding party, including Hales’ girlfriend Danni Gisbourne enjoyed the sun at Chateau de Lartigolle.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is renewing Stokes’ £700,000-a-year contract, despite a potential assault charge after a 27-year-old man went to hospital with facial injuries.
But the star, who has been compared to England great Sir Ian Botham, has been dropped from the squad leaving for Australia this month for the Ashes series. Instead, Middlesex fast bowler Steven Finn will join the travelling party.
The player could also lose a contract worth up to £1.7million in the Indian Premier League next year. Stokes was suspended on full pay after footage of a fracas outside Mbargo nightclub on September 25 appeared.
The altercation is said to have been the result of Stokes defending two gay men.
The star is due to marry Clare Ratcliffe, the mother of his two children, later this month.