The all-rounder’s court case may be over but the England and Wales Cricket Board’s handling of this affair doubtless has a few more embarrassing twists and turns to take yetI am relieved to learn that the not guilty verdict in the Ben Stokes affray trial has ended what has been widely acknowledged as a period of awkwardness for the England and Wales Cricket Board. “ECB’s embarrassment over after Stokes cleared,” declared Sky News.Newly unembarrassed – or found not guilty, if you prefer, of being embarrassing – the ECB moved swiftly after the verdict to issue a statement. “Ben Stokes will now join the England squad for the third Specsavers Test against India,” this ran, “which starts at Trent Bridge on...
Decision to reinstate England all-rounder for series in New Zealand despite pending trial for affray has puzzling aspectsBen Stokes will be back in the fold and playing for England within four weeks. During the period when Stokes had not been charged by the Crown Prosecution Service after the incident in Bristol in the early hours of 25 September, he was unable to play for England. Now he has been charged, he can play. Which seems a bit odd. Related: Ben Stokes: all-rounder cleared to play for England after affray charge Related: Ben Stokes to get go-ahead from ECB to play in Indian Premier League Continue reading...
Stokes’ New Zealand trip is a sideshow – what matters for England in the Ashes is working out how to dismiss Steve Smith and how to counter Mitchell Starc’s pink-ball expertiseLet’s be honest, Joe Root and his players needed the Ben Stokes issue resurfacing this week like a hole in the head. When I wrote at the start of the tour that they should draw a line through his name completely, this was the type of scenario I envisaged.Here are England’s squad battling hard to defend the Ashes and suddenly the agenda changes with the latest will‑he-won’t-he-play saga. Publicly they will say they are 100% focused on the day-night Test that starts on Saturday and squaring the series. But with their...
Ben Stokes’s decision to head for New Zealand and play some one-day cricket would only be worth it in the highly unlikely event he is to play for England in the third Test at PerthAs General Bernard Montgomery once said – and I think rightly: “In my profession you have to mystify the enemy.” Well, Andrew Strauss, England’s cricket director, may have achieved a modicum of success in this department. The only problem is that his own side are even more confused.On a tour of Australia the passion of every Test has a tendency to give way to pantomime in between matches. We have gone from head-butts to Heathrow within the space of 24 hours. No sooner had Strauss done...
England all-rounder dismisses Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis in two balls to leave South Africa on the brink of defeat in the third Test at The OvalAfter seeing what was arguably the most complete of his five Test centuries to date bumped off the back pages by some both‑barrelled delight at Toby Roland-Jones on the second day, Ben Stokes was damned if he was not going to get his moment in the sun this match.And so, on a day when England’s batsmen tightened their grip during the first two sessions before the bowlers punched four almighty holes in South Africa’s hopes of a draw, Stokes made sure he was front and centre. Related: England turn screw on South...