English cricket has been rocked by fresh controversy, with captain Ben Stokes at the centre of an incident involving teammate Gus Atkinson at a nightclub following England's 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test of the summer at Lord's. The pair are reported to have breached team curfew and later became involved in an altercation that allegedly turned physical.
Britain's Press Association identified the rugby player involved as Totoa Auvaa, the former Samoa A and Samoa Under-20 captain, who stands 6ft 5in (1.95m) tall and weighs more than 124 kilograms. The fallout from the incident has cast a shadow over England's preparations for the second Test at The Oval, with the squad announcement delayed amid the ongoing investigation.
The episode has also sparked fresh questions over Stokes' future as England captain. The recent reports have suggested the all-rounder is reassessing his international future, with speculation growing that retirement could even be under consideration.
Geoffrey Boycott has called for strong action against Stokes, arguing that the England skipper cannot be treated differently from any other player if he is found to have breached team rules.
"The England and Wales Cricket Board has to make an example of Ben Stokes and slap him with a suspension after he was caught breaking the team’s curfew. You cannot have the captain blatantly breaking the rules and not do anything about it just because he is so important to the team," Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
{{/usCountry}}"The England and Wales Cricket Board has to make an example of Ben Stokes and slap him with a suspension after he was caught breaking the team’s curfew. You cannot have the captain blatantly breaking the rules and not do anything about it just because he is so important to the team," Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
{{/usCountry}}While demanding action over the alleged curfew breach, Boycott said the responsibility now lies with England's cricket administrators, though he stressed that any decision on Stokes' future should await the outcome of the investigation.
"If Rob Key, the England director of cricket, or Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, are not up to the task of disciplining Stokes then they should not be in a job. I said before that Brendon McCullum and Key should have been sacked. Come on Rob and Brendon, what are you going to do about this? Whether Stokes should be sacked depends on the full circumstances of the incident. An investigation is ongoing and it has to get to the bottom of what happened before making that judgment call," he added.
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“It is a suspension we need to see”
Emphasising the importance of leadership and discipline, Boycott said Stokes should be held to the highest standards as captain and called for a punishment that would send a clear message throughout English cricket.
"But that does not detract from the fact that Stokes as captain should be setting the tone. England cannot beat Australia next summer without discipline. And discipline applies off the field as well as on it. We don’t want a paltry fine. They earn so much money now that a few thousand quid means nothing to them. It is a suspension we need to see," he wrote.