‘Mind-numbing’ reality facing England amid Stokes scandal
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Ben Stokes′ future as England captain is hanging by a thread following an off-field incident, and it could have implications for next year’s Ashes.
Fresh off a dominant Test victory over New Zealand at Lord’s, the 35-year-old was caught in a nightclub scuffle on Tuesday (AEST) that involved teammate Gus Atkinson and an academy player from Saracens rugby club.
Ben Stokes has found himself in hot water again. Getty Images
Stokes could be stood down for the second match against the Black Caps, with the ECB investigating the incident involving the skipper, who was out with Atkinson after the team’s official curfew had ended at the Chelsea venue.
Fresh reports from multiple outlets on Wednesday morning (AEST) have indicated that Stokes is weighing up his captaincy and even considering retirement.
On the surface, it seems like a rather minor incident and all reports coming out of the UK indicate that Stokes and Atkinson weren’t the aggressors.
The issue, however, is the fact that it adds to a growing list of English cricket incidents of a similar nature and it appears players aren’t learning their lessons.
During the ill-fated tour of Australia last summer, Ben Duckett was filmed after a night out in Noosa when he was clearly inebriated.
It then came to light after the Ashes finished that vice-captain Harry Brook was involved in a nightclub incident in New Zealand prior to the series.
Just last week, head coach Brendon McCullum spoke about the stigma attached to the England side and sent a message to his players.
“Nothing good ever happens after midnight, and don’t do anything that lands you on the front page of the paper,” McCullum said.
“So, I kind of feel like if you live by those principles, you can still have a good time without putting in jeopardy the very thing that you hold so dearly.”
McCullum’s message clearly fell on deaf ears and the fact it was his main leader who ignored the instructions that should set off alarm bells.
Stokes has history in the off-field scandal department too, having being charged but later acquitted over a late-night incident in 2017.
At the time, he was fined $57,000 AUD and banned for eight matches.
His latest mishap appears likely to cost him the captain’s armband, whether it be for a short period or perhaps even permanently.
ECB officials have reportedly urged Stokes not to rush into any major decisions, but the growing sentiment is that he will not, and can not remain in charge.
“It is hard to see how he now retains the authority to lead this team ... not after making his employers look so utterly foolish, and behaving as if Australia never happened,” The Daily Mail’s Lawrence Booth wrote.
“If he has captained for the last time, this would be a ridiculous way to go.”
The Mirror’s chief sports writer Andy Dunn conceded that it could be curtains for Stokes in the main leadership role.
“What a ridiculous fall from grace it would be,” he wrote.
“It has to be said that Stokes has been under a lot of pressure and has been recovering from a very serious facial injury. He is an intense character, a fierce competitor. He has deserved to have slack cut.
“But after the embarrassment in Australia - the ECB just asked for a bit of sense and a midnight curfew. It seemed it was too much to ask.”
The UK Telegraph’s Nick Hoult said there are no doubts the England team has a drinking culture, and labelled it ‘embarrassing’ in his column.
Ben Stokes' future is hanging in the balance. Getty
“This was their first night out celebrating a win and they failed at the first hurdle to follow team rules,” he wrote.
“It embarrasses the England team just after a much-needed win. Nobody can now deny there is a drinking culture.”
The irony now is that it will be Brook, who had his own off-field indiscretion just months ago, could be the one taking over.
It’s perhaps the greatest indictment of the state of English cricket.
Former player turned commentator Jonathan Agnew admitted he was “really sad” about the situation given Stokes’ standing in the country.
“It’s clearly in the balance,” he said on BBC’s Test Match Special.
“The fact that there is really nobody else, apart from somebody [Brook] who was fined a huge amount of money and disciplined for exactly this sort of thing very recently and he’s the vice captain ... it shows what a mess they’re in.
“I feel really sad about Ben Stokes because he’s such a good leader, someone who anyone would play for and he’s done some remarkable things on the field.
“But this is more than just a couple of lads going out and having a drink. This is a very serious situation and it shines a very bad light on the England team.”
While the short-term and long-term captaincy remains an obvious issue, the other lingering topic is Stokes’ actual on-field performances.
The all-rounder tried hard in the away Ashes series but managed to score just 184 runs at an average of less than 20 and took 15 wickets at an average of 25.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott has raised concerns over Stokes’ form with bat in hand.
“My worry is that Ben has not played a significant innings for England for quite some time. Technically he doesn’t look good,” he wrote in the UK Telegraph.
Criticism around a lack of runs or wickets in recent times has been placed on the back-burner because of Stokes’ leadership.
But with that aspect now in question, the career of a polarising English great hangs in the balance just 12 months out from a home Ashes campaign.
