Stokes pleads not guilty, court date clashes with India Test

Stokes denies affray charge, faces August trial

Stokes was not present at Bristol Crown Court and denied the charges via video link from New Zealand

England cricketer Ben Stokes on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges of affray following an incident in Bristol last September and he will face trial on August 6.

All-rounder Stokes, 26, was not present at Bristol Crown Court and denied the charges via video link from New Zealand where he is on duty with the England squad.

Two other men charged along with Stokes also pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

England's second Test against India at Lord's starts on August 9.

The Bristol incident and the legal process that followed kept Stokes out of England's Ashes tour of Australia but he returned to the team last month for the one-day international series against New Zealand.