Ben Stokes’ punishment for his involvement in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017 was not “brushed under the carpet”, insists England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Tom Harrison.

All-rounder Stokes was this month handed an accumulative eight-match ban by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), a body independent from the ECB, which also related to an inappropriate video.

However, it was ruled that Stokes had already served all of those matches and was free to continue playing.

Stokes was found not guilty of affray at trial in August and spoke at the time the sanction was announced of how he is looking forward to playing “without this hanging over me”.

And Harrison is adamant the punishment was a “serious” one.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “We have an independent body making these judgements, they are qualified people and this has been a proper process.