Stokes thanked

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 told The Sun they are grateful to Stokes for stepping in to defend them. ‘‘He was a real hero,’’ O’Connell said.