LONDON: Former England captain David Gower said on Tuesday he fears Ben Stokes´ reign as Test skipper may already be in “the past tense” following the all-rounder´s 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.
The pair were also reported to have become involved in what became a physical confrontation with the rugby player. A security guard who was with the England duo was reportedly injured in the incident.
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. “He´s in severe doubt,” Gower told the BBC on Tuesday.
“One of the responsibilities as a captain is to set the right tone; if you´re leading, you have to set the right example.” The 69-year-old, one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation, added: “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, 35, spoke of giving up alcohol during his recovery from injury last year but soon after England had wrapped up a dominant 115-run 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 a midnight curfew on all players and staff. 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.
