Updated 20:31, 08 Jun 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nBen Stokes and Gus Atkinson have brought the ECB into disrepute(Image: News Images\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/p>\n
After the widespread allegations of a drinking culture in the debacle of an Ashes tour last winter, this is all the England and Wales Cricket Board needed right now.<\/p>\n
After what should have been a morale-lifting win in the first Test of the English summer, this is all the ECB needed right now. After sticking with the management, coaching and captaincy set-up following the humiliation in Australia, this is all the ECB needed right now.<\/p>\n
Even if the full details of the \u2018breach of protocols\u2019 are not yet known, this is a staggering development.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t be really happy until I get to share a beer with the boys,\u201d Ben Stokes said after the emphatic win in that first Test at Lord\u2019s. Fair enough. Celebrating cricket triumphs with a pint or two is part of sporting heritage.<\/p>\n
But England still have a midnight curfew in place, mainly as a result of Harry Brook being punched by a nightclub bouncer in Wellington on the eve of a one-day international against New Zealand.<\/p>\n
In the ECB statement, one paragraph said: \u201cBen Stokes and Gus Atkinson were present at a nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning when an incident took place.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, even without the full details of the incident – which involved the two England cricketers and a Saracens academy rugby union player – we know a rule was broken after midnight on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Stokes had skippered the team to a much-needed success, Atkinson had taken seven wickets in the match, five in the New Zealand second innings.<\/p>\n
Mr Lord\u2019s, Stokes called him after the game. Seems like he carried on celebrating with his mate long after Lord\u2019s was deserted.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nEngland’s captain Ben Stokes (R) congratulates England’s Gus Atkinson (L) after he bowls New Zealand’s Matt Henry(Image: AFP via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/div>\n
Again, what exactly happened is not yet known. But the fact that the cricket regulator has been informed, and that the ECB are \u2018seeking further information\u2019 before an announcement regarding the squad for the second Test is made \u2018in due course\u2019, suggests the incident will affect selection for the game at The Oval, which begins next Wednesday.<\/p>\n
And if, as seems almost certain, Stokes is dropped from the match – along with Atkinson – then it really is hard to see how one of England\u2019s greatest sportsmen of recent times can keep the captaincy.<\/p>\n
The irony, of course, is that the vice-captain is Brook.<\/p>\n
What a ridiculous fall from grace it would be. It has to be said that Stokes has been under a lot of pressure and has been recovering from a very serious facial injury. He is an intense character, a fierce competitor. He has deserved to have slack cut.<\/p>\n
But after the embarrassment in Australia – with one extended stay in the seaside town of Noosa being described as a \u2018stag do\u2019 by locals – the ECB just asked for a bit of sense and a midnight curfew.<\/p>\n
It seemed it was too much to ask.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The ECB are investigating a \u2018breach of team protocols\u2019 in the early hours of Monday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}