Ben Stokes is reportedly preparing to make a decision regarding his future as England captain, following the ongoing repercussions of a nightclub altercation involving team-mate Gus Atkinson and a Saracens rugby player.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday morning at a Chelsea nightspot, took place after celebrations for England’s recent Test victory over New Zealand at Lord’s.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the independent Cricket Regulator, and the Gallagher Premiership club are all conducting investigations into the events.
There is a distinct possibility that a breach of team protocols could lead to Stokes being stripped of the captaincy, a role he has held since the summer of 2022. However, it is understood that the ultimate decision currently rests with him.
Sources suggest that Stokes is contemplating stepping down as skipper, and it is not inconceivable that he might even consider retiring from international cricket altogether.
Senior figures within the ECB are said to be furious about the potential reputational damage, particularly as it follows a “chaotic winter” marked by criticism of the team’s professionalism and drinking habits.
While the ECB has granted Stokes time to consider his position, that window is rapidly closing. Training for next week’s second Test at the Kia Oval is scheduled to commence on Sunday, with the squad due to gather before then.
PA understands that Totoa Auvaa, a 6ft 5in and 19stones 8lbs former Samoa A and Samoa Under-20 captain, is the Saracens player implicated.
Auvaa, 21, is a back-five forward who joined Saracens’ senior academy ahead of the current season and is viewed as a promising prospect.
A security guard who was with the England pair, but who is understood not to be a member of ECB staff, was reportedly injured in the incident.
The damaging episode began with a contingent of England cricketers meeting Saracens squad members at the White Horse pub in Fulham on Sunday evening, with the latter group marking the end of their season.
According to a bartender, who asked not to be named, a group of around 20 players, including Stokes and England rugby internationals Maro Itoje and Ben Earl, were served in the establishment between 9pm and 11pm.
The Rugby Football Union and Saracens have declined to comment, and there is no suggestion that either Itoje or Earl were involved in what took place later on.
The employee said Stokes ordered a couple of rum and Cokes and the group was engaging in “huge rounds”. He described the atmosphere between the group as “super nice”, adding: “I assumed they all knew each other in the way that they were talking.”
He said the group left when the White Horse closed at 11pm and some looked like they were going to “kick on”.
PA understands earlier in the evening a lot of the Saracens rugby players were seen drinking at the Crabtree pub in Fulham. They were not seen with any of the England cricketers at that stage, a local witness has said.
Senior figures at the ECB will be furious there are once again question marks over the conduct and culture of the men’s team.
There were multiple reports of late-night drinking sessions on their doomed Ashes campaign over the winter, including a boozy trip to the beach resort of Noosa between the second and third Tests.
The subsequent revelation that white-ball captain Harry Brook had been involved in a scuffle with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington on the preceding tour of New Zealand was another damaging affair that saw him fined and issued with a final warning.
Remarkably, as Stokes’ vice-captain, Brook could now be asked to lead the side in his absence. Joe Root, who did the job for five years before Stokes took over and is the squad’s senior figure, could be another option.
In 2017, Stokes was involved in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub that resulted in him being charged with affray. He subsequently missed the Ashes tour of 2017-18 before he was cleared of the charge the following summer.
Former England captain David Gower earlier told BBC Radio 5 Live he feared Stokes’ reign was already all but done.
“He’s in severe doubt. One of the responsibilities as a captain is to set the right tone – if you’re leading, you have to set the right example,” Gower said.
“He has become – or, I probably have to use the past tense now, had become – a very important figure as a leader of that team. I don’t know what he’s thinking at the moment… regret could be the least of it. He will be mortified, I’m sure, to have put himself in that position in the early hours.”
Stokes spoke of giving up alcohol during recovery from injury last year and even invested in a zero per cent brand of spirits.
But, in the immediate aftermath of the 115-run over New Zealand at the home of cricket, he told a press conference: “I won’t be really happy until I get to share a beer with the boys.”
