England's Ben Stokes arrested after incident in Bristol

England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes, 26, was arrested by Bristol Police in the early hours of Monday after injuring a 27-year-old man in an altercation.

Stokes was detained overnight and later released without charges.

“He was held overnight and released under investigation, without charge, late on Monday and will not join the team in London,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a statement on Tuesday.

Due to the scandal, Stokes was dropped by the ECB from the fourth one-day international (ODI) against the West Indies on Wednesday.

Alex Hales also dropped from ODI against Windies

Opener Alex Hales, 28, was with Stokes during the incident, and has also been dropped from the fourth ODI.

“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,” added the ECB.

“Ben Stokes and Alex Hales will not be available for tomorrow’s one-day international match against West Indies at The Oval.”

The ECB gave no further details about the incident but, according to the BBC, it happened in a nightclub. Sky Sports also reported that Stokes injured his hand during the altercation.

England leading the series

England have a 2-0 lead in the five-game series against the West Indies. Due to bad weather, the second match was washed out.

Following Wednesday’s fixture at the Oval, the series will end at Southampton’s Rose Bowl on Friday.

Despite the exclusion of Stokes and Hales, England are expected to overcome the Windies in the two remaining matches in the series.