England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been hailed a "real hero" for stepping in and protecting a gay couple in the incident which threatens his place on the Ashes tour. The 26-year-old will not travel to Australia with the rest of the England squad when they fly out on Saturday as he waits to learn whether he will face criminal charges over an incident outside a nightclub in Bristol in September. However, Kai Barry and Billy O'Connell told The Sun on Saturday that Stokes had been their white knight by stepping in to stop a group of revellers hurling homophobic abuse at them.

Ben Stokes. Pic/AFP