England Test team captain Ben Stokes is embroiled in controversies, due to which his captaincy is in danger. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is also going to drop him from the Test team. According to media reports, after Stokes’ name cropped up in a nightclub scandal, the ECB has decided to take strict action against him. Along with him, Gus Atkinson is also under investigation.
After the 115-run win against New Zealand in the Lord’s Test, Stokes and Atkinson had reached a nightclub in the early hours of Monday (June 8), where they had a scuffle with a rugby player. There is no news of anyone being injured in this incident but the ECB has started an investigation against Stokes and Atkinson for violating team protocol. The ECB has said that more information is being collected in this matter. The team for the second test will be announced in due course of time.
This Test match is to be played at the Oval from June 17, in which it is considered very difficult for Stokes and Atkinson to play. Considering the seriousness of the matter, Stokes can be removed from the captaincy.
Stokes had reached a nightclub in London to celebrate the victory against New Zealand and his birthday party. Atkinson was also with him. The rugby player involved in the incident had come to celebrate the end of his season. According to reports, the dispute started with an argument between Atkinson and the rugby player. The matter reached a scuffle. It is being told that the rugby player first punched Atkinson. After this Stokes also joined the fight. After CCTV footage of the incident surfaced, ECB has sent the matter to the cricket regulator for further investigation.
During the Ashes series on Australia tour, England players were seen behaving irresponsibly. Some English players drank heavily in Noosa during the test series. A video of Ben Duckett drunk went viral. Meanwhile, Harry Brook was fined and reprimanded in a late night incident involving a bouncer. Also Jacob Bethel was warned for his behavior. In view of the bad attitude of the players, ECB implemented ‘Midnight Curfew’ (rule of not going out after midnight) for the team. Stokes has broken this protocol, which has cost him his captaincy.
Stokes has a long association with controversies. He was involved in a late-night street-fight after an ODI match in Bristol in 2017. He was acquitted of assault charges but the ECB fined and banned him for bringing the game into disrepute.
