Ben Stokes is preparing to make a decision on his future as England captain, several British media outlets reported following his involvement in a nightclub incident with a Saracens rugby player.
Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson are facing a probe by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for breaking team curfew rules on Monday morning following England’s win in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.
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The pair were also reported to have become involved in a physical confrontation.
Britain’s Press Association named the rugby player involved as Totoa Auvaa, a former Samoa A and Samoa Under-20 captain now of the Saracens club, who stands at 195cm and 124kg.
A security guard who was with the England duo was reportedly injured in the incident.
According to a Daily Mail report, Stokes was seen downing £25 double rum and cokes a few hours before the alleged incident. He and Atkinson were reportedly drinking with England rugby union captain Maro Itoje and other Saracens players at the White Horse pub in Fulham. The incident with Auvaa later happened at The Rex Rooms nightclub.
There have been multiple reports that the England cricketers were not the aggressors.
However, The Times reported that Stokes and Atkinson were the only cricketers to break curfew, despite six or seven players — including Joe Root — being at the pub drinking. They spent between 9-11pm at the pub, leaving without incident at closing time; but Stokes and Atkinson ended up in the VIP section with the rugby players at Rex Rooms, while their teammates split off and went back to the hotel to observe curfew.
Later, Auvaa allegedly threw at punch at Atkinson — only to strike an ECB security guard.
It is the latest controversy concerning the England team following a tour of Australia where the side faced allegations of a drinking culture during a 4-1 Ashes series loss concluded in January.
The squad announcement for next week’s second Test at the Oval has been delayed and there are now growing concerns over whether Stokes can continue as England captain.
But there will be no need to sack Stokes from the captaincy should the 35-year-old resign from a post he has held since 2022.
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And the possibility remains he could now quit international cricket completely. There have been suggestions Stokes and Atkinson were unaware a midnight curfew imposed on the players after the Ashes debacle was still in place, even though the first Test against New Zealand had finished.
Stokes, as captain, would be expected to know the rules, however, while a failure to explain fully the terms of the curfew would reflect badly on both England managing director Rob Key and coach Brendon McCullum.
Stokes will hold a crisis meeting with his advisors on Wednesday to decide on his future. He could also opt to take an indefinite break from the game. It comes after the ECB held an emergency executive board meeting on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Vithushan Ehantharajah from ESPN reported there were concerns Stokes could retire from cricket after this latest incident.
“At that point, there were strong suggestions Stokes was fed up and keen to call time on a 15-year career,” Ehantharajah wrote.
“Such has been the breakdown of communication between Stokes and the ECB, some feared they would only be informed of his decision via a post on his Instagram page.”
This was supported by senior correspondent at The Cricketer, George Dobell.
“I fear from everything I hear that Stokes is going to act first,” he said on TalkSPORT.
“And, regretfully, I hear that he is going to step down and possibly even retire.
“I think that would be hugely regrettable and I hope he doesn’t. I hope he stands and fights his ground, which is the Ben Stokes we know.
Dobell said he didn’t think the punishment fit the crime.
“Let’s get it in perspective again. A 35-year-old man has stayed out beyond midnight. There is a context. It would be disingenuous of me to pretend there isn’t.
“But none of the stuff that’s happened in this period has been that bad. We’re talking about people staying out and having too many drinks or staying out too late, really.
“There has to be some repercussions, but do we really want to see one of the most inspirational characters that England have ever had ending their career like this? And personally, I very much don’t.”
Former England captain David Gower said Stokes’ position as captain was “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, 69, told the BBC on Tuesday.
“They have to sort it out. If you’ve agreed to a curfew 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.
“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 misjudgement. You’ve put yourself in a bad position and you’ve put yourself at risk.”
Stokes spoke of giving up alcohol during his recovery from injury last year. But soon after England had completed a dominant 115-run win against New Zealand at Lord’s, to go 1-0 up in a three-match series, he told reporters: “I won’t be really happy until I get to share a beer with the boys.”
If Stokes is stripped of the captaincy, vice-captain Harry Brook — already the skipper of England’s white-ball teams — could lead the hosts at the Oval.
This would represent a remarkable reversal of fortune for Brook, who was fined and censured for late-night drinking and clashing with a nightclub bouncer before captaining England in a one-day international in Wellington in October.
That episode led England to impose the midnight curfew, with McCullum saying after the Wellington incident became public: “If you go back to the day that 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 ever happens after midnight’”.
In 2017, Stokes was involved in an incident outside a nightclub in Bristol, southwest England, that led to him being charged with affray.
He subsequently missed the Ashes tour of 2017/18 before he was found not guilty of the charge following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in August 2018.
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