'I watch him play and it's not the same Ben Stokes': Flintoff feels affray trial affected allrounder

Ben Stokes was cleared of the charge at Bristol Crown Court last month and returned to the national side for the final three Tests of the summer against India

^{Ben Stokes outside Bristol Crown Court}

Former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff says Ben Stokes is "not the same" since his affray trial.

Stokes was cleared of the charge at Bristol Crown Court last month and returned to the national side for the final three Tests of the summer against India.

He made 173 runs and claimed eight wickets in those matches - at Trent Bridge, the Ageas Bowl and the Kia Oval - but Flintoff felt something was missing from his performances.

He said on the BBC podcast Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy: "Do you know when someone comes back and they lose a little bit of their aura and you gotta find it? Ben Stokes.

Former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff

"Ben Stokes goes through what he's come back from and to me, I watch him play and it's not the same Ben Stokes... at the minute. To me, there's a bit of an unsureness about him.

"You're aware of what people are thinking and that does rub off on you. You're not just trying to win a game, you're trying to win people over.

"He's doing all right, but it's not that Ben Stokes that we saw pre- his trial. And it takes a while to come back from, and I hope he does."

Stokes and Alex Hales have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the Cricket Discipline Commission for their part in an early-hours brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017.

The two players face a hearing in December.

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