Last Updated on 22 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
Ben Stokes is reportedly furious he did not receive public backing from Rob Key or Brendon McCullum during the nightclub saga. That is according to The Telegraph, who claim there is now a civil war between Stokes and the ECB.
Cricket correspondents Will Macpherson and Nick Hoult, who broke the details during England’s winter from hell in Australia and New Zealand, revealed the ECB are unsure of what Stokes will say in his press conference ahead of their crucial third Test against New Zealand. Stokes insists he did nothing wrong because the curfew rules weren’t set in stone; a view later supported by the Cricket Regulator’s findings.
Damningly for McCullum, the coach himself admitted there was an “ambiguity” around the curfew and whether it was actually in force following England’s victory in the first Test. The rule was not put in writing, leading to confusion among the players, most notably Gus Atkinson who was unaware of the protocols.
It is the kind of lack of attention to detail that has plagued the Key-McCullum regime, leading to many fans believing that the duo were fortunate to keep their jobs after the 4-1 Ashes loss.
ECB wanted Ben Stokes to resign after nightclub saga, but now “he has got all the cards”
Stokes and McCullum’s relationship became fractured in Australia. This episode will do little to improve that. The England coach repeatedly spoke of Stokes’ mental wellbeing before the second Test at The Oval, much to the surprise of the captain. Also, Stokes and Key reportedly had an unproductive meeting last week which has further strained their relationship.
“Stokes was bemused by McCullum questioning his mental health and the face-to-face meeting with Key at Durham last week is believed to have been strained,” read the report, which also included key detail that Stokes felt he was being pressured to resign. “Stokes went from acting apologetic in WhatsApp groups with England’s management to threatening to retire when he felt cornered into resigning as captain.”
Nasser Hussain is among those critical of how Key and McCullum handled the situation. The former England captain was disappointed at how the duo danced around key questions, leading to speculation that Stokes could quit cricket altogether.
“If you’ve decided that as long as everything comes out fine from the Regulator, he’s our England captain… they are the exact words I’d use,” Hussain said on Sky Sports after England’s 253-run loss.
“So press conference here, asked the question, ‘Will Stokes be captain in the future?’ It’s a very easy answer to give. If everything comes out fine from the Regulator and there’s nothing we don’t know about, Ben Stokes is my England cricket captain.”
Steve Harmison predicts there will be some tricky conversations in the dressing room. The former fast bowler sees a world where Key and McCullum didn’t believe Stokes’ version of events, which have since been supported by the Regulator’s findings.
“It sounds like when he gave his versions of the events, his bosses didn’t believe him because McCullum, Key and media frenzy of what they said in the buildup sounded as though Ben was in a dark place. It sounded as though he broke team protocols and everything that goes with it,” Harmison said on talkSPORT.
“For Ben Stokes to walk back in as captain looking across the room… it could be a couple of tricky hours of conversation to get everything back.”
talkSPORT pundit Andy Goldstein claims the England hierarchy “literally hung Stokes out to dry” instead of speaking to him on the phone and “get to the bottom of it within 24 hours and then come out and make a statement.” Goldstein also said that Stokes now has all the cards and the ECB must apologise to him.
England need to regroup quickly with the series on the line against New Zealand. A new-look team were duly thrashed by a clinical Black Caps outfit at The Oval. A series defeat at Trent Bridge will only increase the pressure on Key, McCullum and Stokes, which would take their record to four wins out of their last 13 Tests.
