LONDON: Once the bad boy of English cricket, England cricket hero Ben Stokes was Tuesdayrecognised for a thrilling World Cup 2018 victory as he collected an Order of British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace.Stokes was given the award for his services to cricket in the New Year Honours list after last summer’s triumph.The cricketer, who career was once mired in controversy, was handed the honour by The Duke of Cambridge in London Tuesday afternoon.It comes after he was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year after a remarkable 12 months in which England beat New Zealand to win the men’s World Cup for the first time.It is a story of redemption for Stokes, who in 2018 was cleared of affray charges following an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September of the previous year. In 2017, Stokes was facing a possible prison sentence and irreparable damage to his career over his role in a late-night brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 — after which he banned for eight matches. It was the latest in a long line of controversies that had plagued the talented Stokes’s career, including a ban for a boozy night out, a self-inflicted injury and a bizarre row with Katie Price. In December 2011, he was arrested and cautioned for obstructing police during a night out in Cumbria.
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