Ben Stokes has to be careful off the field, says Michael Vaughan

Ben Stokes was arrested on Monday in Bristol (Reuters Photo)

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has hit out at Ben Stokes for his “lifestyle” after the all-rounder was arrested on Monday for his alleged involvement in a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol. The England cricketer was taken into custody by police for being involved in a drunken incident but was released without any charges later in the day.

“Ben Stokes can’t say he was not warned,” Vaughan wrote in his Daily Telegraph column. “I have been privy to private conversations about him recently and he has been given strong warnings about his lifestyle. People have said to him there is only one person who can ruin your career and that is you. Nobody else,” Vaughan wrote.

Despite his arrest, Stokes was included in the England squad for Ashes 2017 but he was dropped for the ODI squad that will play West Indies in the final two ODIs of the five-match series.

Vaughan wrote that there is no doubt in Stokes’ skills and talent of an all-rounder but he has to be careful off the field to become a superstar in cricket.

“He has the talent, plays all three formats relatively easily, and has the world at his feet,” he said. “In time we could be describing him as a cricketing genius. But he has to understand that if he wants to be a superstar, and go over to India, earn huge IPL contracts and keep them, he has to be careful off the field. I am not saying be teetotal or not have a flutter at the casino.

“He needs a way to let off steam and live a life. But on the field he is a streetwise cricketer. He understands the game. He gets cricket. But he is not streetwise off the pitch and that could be his downfall. I am hoping this is his lesson.”