Now Ben must prove he’s beaten demons

BEN STOKES looked to the heavens after hearing he would be leaving court a free man.

Was Stokes talking to God once again and thanking him for some divine intervention?

Or was he simply thanking his lucky stars a jury had found him not guilty of affray following his involvement in a street brawl in Bristol last September?

Who knows, because England’s most high-profile cricketer chose not to speak on the steps of Bristol Crown Court following the dramatic end to his weeklong trial.

That was left to his solicitor Paul Lunt – and he played a blinder, putting in the sort of all-action performance his client often produces on the pitch.

Lunt insisted the jury had reached a conclusion that reflected the truth. That Stokes was guilty of nothing more than sticking up for two people who found themselves on the wrong end of homophobic abuse that night in Clifton.

Fists

Sadly, the truth is also that Stokes got involved in a situation he didn’t need to be anywhere near – and then let his fists do the talking, knocking one of his fellow accused unconscious and leaving him with a fractured eye socket.

The law of the land states that Stokes can now get on with his life again and resume his career with Durham and England.

After all, according to the court he has done nothing wrong, so it would be churlish to argue with the ECB’s decision to hand Stokes an immediate recall to the squad for this weekend’s third Test against India at Trent Bridge.

But it won’t be the last we hear of this whole pathetic episode. Nor should it be.

The Cricket Disciplinary Committee (CDC), funded by the ECB, will discuss the possibility of further sanctions against Stokes and England teammate Alex Hales, who was also present on that night but never charged.

The sport has a process to go through and Stokes could face a ban.

What the CDC have to consider now is