X-ray reveals Stokes suffered fractured finger in incident in Bristol
Monday 2 October 2017 10:03, UK
Ben Stokes will remain England's vice-captain despite his arrest in the early hours of Monday morning.
The 26-year-old was named in the England Test squad for the Ashes tour on Wednesday and it has been confirmed by the ECB that he will retain the vice-captaincy.
Stokes will miss Wednesday's one-day international against the Windies after he was arrested following an incident in Bristol after England's 124-run win in the third ODI. He was released under investigation without charge after the incident.
"The reality is I'm just beginning to get a bit of a picture of what went on, on Sunday night," England Cricket director Andrew Strauss told Sky Sports News when asked about Stokes' long-term role as vice-captain.
"There is a formal disciplinary process that is in the players' condition of employment. We need to go through that and follow that process properly.
"It's not going to happen prior to the end of this series and it's important we just give ourselves time to do it properly. It would be wrong for me to pre-judge what might come out of that."
Strauss added: "My instinct is to treat players like adults on and off the field. That kind of attitude creates a harmonious environment, which actually enables performance. That philosophy is a sound one.
"Obviously when things like this happen you have to step back and ask 'are we doing this right'? We've got nothing to hide here. We're absolutely certain that we don't want to see these sort of incidents happen in the future.
An X-ray has revealed Stokes has a minor fracture of a finger on his right hand after the incident. He needs more tests to determine if he needs surgery. He is expected to be fit for the first game of the Ashes tour on November 4.
Stokes was appointed as vice-captain in February this year.
He was previously sent home from an England Lions tour in Australia in 2013 alongside a team-mate for repeatedly flouting rules on late-night drinking.
