Stokes: Bristol could be the best thing that happened to me

London, April 6: Ben Stokes hopes his response to being arrested and the subsequent court case could prove to be a major positive influence on his mentality during the rest of his career.

The star all-rounder was arrested in September 2017 during a night out after England's one-day international against West Indies.

He missed the 2017-18 Ashes series against Australia as a consequence, but was later acquitted after facing charges of affray.

"No matter what happens in life with me now, the Bristol thing will always be there," he told ESPNcricinfo.

"It's something I'll always carry with me. It'll always be there. Always.

"I want to do things on the field to be remembered for. If we win the World Cup, that becomes the first paragraph [of a career profile], doesn't it? I don't want to be remembered as the guy who had a fight in the street."

Despite his international and professional future being at risk before and during the trial, Stokes claims he had always considered himself fortunate to play cricket for a living.

"The easy thing to say is yes, it made me appreciate it more," he said.

"But I don't know - I always did appreciate it.

"But thinking all this is going to be taken away from me might be the thing that has changed the way I do things. I was that close to my career ending and being thrown away just like that. Maybe that is it.

"It sounds silly but, could Bristol have been the best thing that could have happened to me? Who knows. But maybe in terms of my way of thinking."