Ben Stokes documentary: Amazon release date, Bristol court case explained, how to watch Phoenix from the Ashes

England’s Test cricket captain Ben Stokes has a new documentary being released this week on Amazon Prime
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Ben Stokes, England’s newest Test captain, will be the subject of a new documentary on Amazon Prime, which will detail the rise and fall and rise again of his on field career, as well as his fight with his own personal demons.

The one-off documentary has been created alongside the Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, who interviews England’s Ashes hero throughout the programme.

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The film will be released on the same week as England take on South Africa for the second Test match. The first Test ended in a disastrous defeat for England despite the emergence of ‘Bazball’ earlier this summer, but the upcoming documentary is set to cast our minds back to the prime of Ben Stokes in 2019.

With only a few days before the documentary is released, here is what to expect from the show and which incidents are set to be brought up...

When is the documentary being released?

Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes will be released worldwide on Prime Video on Friday 26 August 2022.

Amazon Prime subscriptions are free for the first 30 days, after which they cost from £7.99/month.

What does the trailer show us?

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The trailer begins with words from the narrator suggesting Ben Stokes was close to never playing for England again.

It mentions the darkest times Stokes faced, including the infamous nightclub incident in Bristol which led to a very public court case as well as his heroic Headingley innings which saw him rescue England from the depths of despair against Australia.

Headingley 2019 - Ben Stokes confirms his ‘hero’ statusHeadingley 2019 - Ben Stokes confirms his ‘hero’ status
Headingley 2019 - Ben Stokes confirms his ‘hero’ status

What will the documentary show?

Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes will detail how Ben Stokes became an England legend, with 2019 proving to be the Year of Ben.

Not only did he become a pivotal member of the England Ashes squad, winning a key match for them - even if the series was tied - with Jack Leach in their famous final wicket partnership, but how he also helped England to beat New Zealand in the thrilling final of the 2019 ODI World Cup.

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A year later, Stokes took an indefinite break from the game in order to prioritise his mental health and spend time with his father, who was terminally ill with brain cancer.

As well as hearing from Stokes, the documentary will also feature interviews from former England captain Joe Root, Stokes’ manager Neil Fairbrother and the late Australian legend Shane Warne.

Stokes says he is finally on the road to recovery, thanks in part to medication and taking the time away from the game, and has also learned to love playing cricket again following the death of his father in December 2020.

What happened in Bristol 2017?

Despite all of his achievements on the pitch, the nightclub incident in 2017 will always loom large whenever the name Ben Stokes comes up.

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Following the third ODI against West Indies at Bristol in September 2017, Stokes was arrested after he became involved in a street brawl near a nightclub with two men.

Teammate Alex Hales was also present and it led to both players missing the fourth game of the series. Stokes sustained a hand injury ruling him out of the final game and the subsequent trial saw him miss the 2017-18 Ashes and second Test match against India.

Stokes soon lost his apparel sponsorship with New Balance.

He was charged with affray in January 2018 and appeared before the Bristol Magistrate’s Court the following month.

He was finally acquitted on 14 August but was subsequently charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the ECB over the incident.

During the trial, Stokes said he was defending a gay couple from homophobic abuse from the other two men and the couple later thanked Stokes afterwards for his support.

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