England cricketer Ben Stokes arrested after disorder

LONDON — England test vice-captain Ben Stokes was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm after an incident early Monday in Bristol, police and the team said.

The disorder that led to a man being hospitalized with facial injuries occurred hours after Stokes played in a one-day international victory over West Indies at the Bristol County Ground in southwest England.

Batsman Alex Hales, who was out with the 26-year-old Stokes after the match, returned voluntarily to Bristol on Tuesday to help police with the investigation, the England and Wales Cricket Board said.

Stokes and Hales were absent from practice on Tuesday and they will miss the fourth match in the five-match ODI series against the West Indies on Wednesday at The Oval in London.

The police force in Bristol said it was called to "disorder" on a city center street at 2:35 a.m. on Monday. The BBC and Guardian said the incident happened at the Mbargo nightclub.

An unidentified 27-year-old man "suffered facial injuries and was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary for treatment," Avon and Somerset Police said in an appeal for witnesses.

Asked about Stokes, the police force confirmed: "A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and has since been released under investigation." The ECB said Stokes was held until late Monday.

The incident came just as England prepares to name its squad for the Ashes tour of Australia.

Stokes has a checkered off-field disciplinary record. He was cautioned by police after being arrested for obstructing police during a night out in 2011.

The allrounder was sent home from an England Lions tour of Australia the following year for flouting rules on late-night drinking. He missed the World Twenty20 in 2014 after breaking his hand while punching a dressing room locker in Barbados while enduring poor form. Last year, Stokes was convicted of speeding for a fourth time.