Ben Stokes, the 35-year-old England Test captain, is considering walking away from international cricket after being given an ultimatum by England chiefs to quit the captaincy or be sacked, according to sources. The England and Wales Cricket Board has opened an investigation into what it termed a “breach of team protocols” after Stokes and team-mate Gus Atkinson stayed out past the team’s midnight curfew following the first Test victory against New Zealand at Lord’s last Sunday.
The incident occurred at a west London nightclub, where Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa allegedly aimed a punch at Atkinson but instead struck a member of England’s security team who was accompanying the players. While the ECB is still establishing the facts, the seriousness of the breach has led to speculation of a two-match ban that would rule Stokes out of the final two Tests against New Zealand. However, in a development that threatens to rock English cricket, The i Paper understands Stokes is close to quitting international cricket for good, having been told to make a decision on his future by the ECB.
“Ben Stokes considers quitting international cricket after ECB ultimatum over nightclub protocol breach.”
The ECB is pressuring Stokes to make a quick decision because they do not want this affair overshadowing the start of the women’s T20 World Cup at Edgbaston on Friday. The i Paper has been told by sources that Stokes was given an ultimatum to quit the captaincy or be sacked, though the ECB denied this when contacted. If Stokes does retire, questions will be asked of the ECB hierarchy’s handling of the situation, which feels disproportionate for breaking a curfew that was only put in place because his likely successor, Harry Brook, was punched by a bouncer in Wellington during last winter’s tour of New Zealand.
Brook is expected to captain next week’s second Test against New Zealand at The Oval and is likely to be named as Stokes’s full-time successor before that match. He would be the first person to captain England across all formats since Sir Alastair Cook in 2012. The ramifications of Stokes’s potential retirement would be felt deeply across the coming days and months, given his totemic presence in the England dressing room over the past 15 years. Stokes played a key role in England winning the 2019 ODI World Cup, rescuing the team with the bat during a tied final against New Zealand.