This would be no way to end an England captaincy or international playing career. It would leave a blot on what will be a stellar sporting legacy.
Yes, Ben Stokes should be punished for breaking a team curfew that he himself was party to setting after last winter’s Ashes shenanigans, with a suspension for the remainder of the Test series with New Zealand. Throw in a hefty fine and final warning, too.
That is the kind of punishment truly commensurate with the crime of being alongside team-mate Gus Atkinson at the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea in the early hours of Monday morning, where a member of the England team’s security staff was allegedly struck by Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa.
Anything more would be Draconian. The problem for the ECB as they mull over their options is the landscape against which this flouting of the team’s Cinderella time occurred.
Forced into taking action following month’s of boozy indiscipline in New Zealand and Australia from October to January, they came up with a midnight cut-off for players to return to their hotels while representing their country on overseas tours.
The ECB confirmed it would remain in place this summer, but its application has been questioned by many privately. One decorated ex-England international messaged me after the news broke on Monday, simply saying: ‘I just hate that curfew.’ A seasoned former county cricketer asked for clarification: ‘It doesn’t apply once a match is over, though, right?’
This would be no way for Ben Stokes’ England career to come to an end. It would leave a blot on what will be a stellar sporting legacy
Stokes celebrates hitting the winning runs in the third Ashes Test at Headingley in 2019 in his most iconic innings
After all, it was not before or during a match, but after a victory. Few would have batted an eyelid had England’s drinking culture come to light during a winning rather than losing Test series against Australia. Post-match beers would have been viewed as a badge of honour.
Test cricketers are famous for sharing beers and reminiscing in the dressing room post match – drinking out of their Baggy Green caps is a rite of passage for Australia’s players. Stokes himself made a point of referencing how much he was looking forward to joining his team-mates for a beer during the post-match press conference of England’s 115-run success at Lord’s.
Stokes could not hide his relief about getting back on track on the field after an Ashes tour he genuinely believed could have been historical but which went so wrong. He knew the performance would be scrutinised and in New Zealand, high-level opposition lay in wait.
Having a drink or two was a vehicle for releasing some tension. With 10 days between the first and second Tests, it was hardly an issue if two became four, or half a dozen. If you’re going to have a blow-out, this was the time.
There will be those that say this England team have a problem with alcohol, yet the truth is that they get so few chances to socialise that they are guiltier of going to excess than your average frequenter of pubs when they do.
It should be noted that Stokes, 35, has often given up booze completely, as was the case over the past few months when recovering from a fractured cheek socket. Such was his desperation to get back on the field and atone for defeat to Australia.
I have witnessed his dedication to getting back to playing for his country first-hand as ghostwriter of two books, including his autobiography Firestarter. During one knee injury, two-hour interviews would be carried out at his house with his leg raised in an ice compression machine.
It might sound incongruous but of all the cricketers that I have worked with on such projects, none have been more professional than Stokes.
His time management and commitment were always exemplary. On the rare occasions he could not make a meeting, or was going to be late, notification came well in advance. Once invested in a project, he is all in. We watched back his 135 not out in Leeds twice over, in his sports room, to recapture every thought that had entered his mind in securing that sensational success.
Stokes was relieved to get England back on track at Lord’s after an Ashes tour he genuinely believed could have been historical but which went so wrong
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said this week that Stokes ‘was aggressive with people a couple of times after interviews’ in Australia
Stokes would always do extra rehabilitation exercises to get back for England. Give him an eight-week recovery period and he will aim to do it in six. This is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, almost literally. He loves playing for England and his Test number 658 and shirt number 55 adorn his left arm, part of a tapestry of ink that pays homage to his career.
Some might argue that he has wanted it too much, recently. Indeed, writing in The Daily Telegraph, Michael Vaughan said he had been sharing concerns about Stokes in the build-up to Lord’s.
He wrote: ‘In Australia, he was aggressive with people a couple of times after interviews. I have heard that he has not been shaking the hands of well-respected people in the game. It was odd at Lord’s that he did not come down to have his photograph taken with all the other England ex-captains as part of the 150th Lord’s Test celebrations. I thought that was a bad look. He does not seem to respect the past or other people doing their jobs.’
There is no doubt he is a singular man. One who is increasingly intent on doing things his way. It led to him clumsily using the phrase ‘has-beens’ about those who criticised England’s limited preparation for the Ashes last November.
Indeed, on Sunday when England coach Brendon McCullum was discussing Stokes’ willingness to listen to others about his batting in the wake of a recent decline, he said: ‘He only trusts a certain amount of people, which is no bad thing in life.’
One of them, his manager Neil Fairbrother has been navigating a way forward over the past 72 hours, just as he did in the days after the Bristol fracas in September 2017 that led to Stokes being found not guilty of affray.
It has been for talismanic performances, such as the iconic unbeaten hundred to beat Australia by one-wicket at Headingley in 2019, and four years of inspirational leadership and tactical nous that he has been remembered for since.
Very few can be compared to him as England’s Test captain: a 56 per cent win ratio is only marginally inferior to that of Mike Brearley, who led in 12 matches fewer.
As ghostwriter of his book, I’ve seen first hand his dedication to playing for England in the way he has done his rehab
Like Virat Kohli, Stokes has also been a champion of Test cricket, and the game cannot afford to prematurely lose any of those
Some of those who shelled out thousands of pounds to head Down Under last winter were left concerned by the image of the team, but the majority were more hung up on its aptitude.
Money will inevitably have some part to play for the ECB. Stokes is on a central contract worth seven figures annually which still has 16 months to run.
Like Virat Kohli, he has also been a champion of Test cricket, and the game cannot afford to prematurely lose any of those.
Hopefully, putting time between the incident and its final analysis will conclude Stokes’ actions were a mistake – but not one to cull one of England’s greatest cricketer’s careers.
