Ben Stokes ‘fragile and devastated’ after assault arrest

The 26-year-old fractured his finger in the incident outside a Bristol nightclub on Monday night, with video footage appearing to show him throwing punches at two other men in a violent brawl.

The Sun obtained the mobile phone footage, which apparently depicts a man armed with a bottle threatening Stokes and team-mate Alex Hales – with Stokes allegedly unleashing a flurry of punches, before slapping the other man.

Stokes spent the night in a police cell after being "arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm", before being released under investigation.

While he was named in England’s squad for the forthcoming Ashes tour in Australia, his participation remains in doubt.