Ben Stokes’ England captaincy ‘in severe doubt’ after nightclub incident, David Gower says

Ben Stokes' tenure as England Test captain is under threat, with former skipper David Gower suggesting his reign could be "in the past tense" after a nightclub incident.

The event, involving a Saracens rugby player, occurred in the early hours of Monday morning at a London venue.

Advertisement

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the independent Cricket Regulator, and the Gallagher Premiership club are all investigating the circumstances.

Stokes and his team-mate Gus Atkinson breached team protocols by ignoring a recently-imposed midnight curfew as they celebrated Sunday’s first Test victory over New Zealand, and were later involved in what became a physical confrontation with the rugby player.

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 squad announcement for next week’s second Test at the Kia Oval has been delayed as a result of the episode, but Stokes and Atkinson are expected to be omitted.

Advertisement

Senior figures at the ECB will be furious that there are once again question marks over the team’s professionalism and drinking habits – factors which became all too familiar during a messy winter and led to a review of dressing-room culture.

There is uncertainty now over whether Stokes can continue as captain and one of his predecessors, Gower, agrees the situation is that serious.

“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,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“They have to sort it out. If you’ve agreed to a curfew, yes, you have to abide by it. I’ve got a lot of respect for Ben and most the things he’s done for the last three years or so as England captain.

Advertisement

“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.

“It’s a misjudgment. You’ve put yourself in a bad position and you’ve put yourself at risk.”

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.”

Advertisement

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 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.

Advertisement

The reports will come as a further embarrassment to the ECB, which has been at pains to show lessons have been learned following previous excesses.

Head coach Brendon McCullum has defended his players over previous criticism, but one of his most often repeated mantras since taking over in 2022 seems even more apt than ever.

Speaking in Sri Lanka earlier this year, shortly after the news of Brook’s indiscretion came to light, McCullum said: “If you go back to the day I walked into the job, the first thing I said to these boys is, ‘Don’t do anything that lands you on the front page of the paper and nothing good happens after midnight’.”

Click here to read article