Ben Stokes imbroglio has landed England management in a lose-lose situation ahead of Ashes series

Ajit Vijaykumar 13:22 01/10/2017
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  • Andrew Strauss and co will have to take a tough decision.

    Ben Stokes is in trouble. It’s the kind of trouble that has not only jeopardised his immediate cricketing plans but threatens to leave a substantial trail of destruction as more details emerge from the alleged brawl outside a Bristol pub.

    The England management finds itself in a terrible situation. With the Ashes coming up, Stokes’ availability has become the biggest talking point in cricket. But the more serious issue is what happens to the long-term career of Stokes.

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  • And more importantly, what stance will the England board take once the dust settles and appropriate action has been taken by the authorities.

    This isn’t the first time Stokes has landed in serious trouble. In 2011, he was arrested in Cumbria during a night out for obstructing an on-duty policeman. Two years later, he was sent home from an England Lions tour of Australia for repeatedly ignoring curfew.

    While it is too early to pass any judgement on Stokes’ actions without knowing all the details, the latest incident is not good for the image of Stokes and at the very least points to a pattern of problematic behaviour.

    Stokes' undeniable talent is something the ECB would not want to lose.

    Stokes’ undeniable talent is something the ECB would not want to lose.

    When a superstar like Stokes is caught in such acts – alleged or otherwise – on multiple occasions, the questions move from mitigating circumstances to the propensity of the player to find himself in such situations in the first place. Stokes is by no means the first cricketer to find himself in the news for the wrong reasons.

    There are two prominent cricketers who were just as talented as Stokes but had serious disciplinary issues that ended up ruining their international careers. Andrew Symonds lost his Australia contract after he was caught drinking before the World T20 in England in 2009.

    In fact, he had a specific ‘public behaviour’ clause in his contract following numerous altercations in establishments across the world. Symonds failed to adhere to the rules and the World Cup winner soon fell off the radar.

    New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder is another player who paid a big price for his misdemeanours. The left-handed batsman admitted to having a drinking problem and that forced the Kiwi management to take a tough stance and keep him out of the side following numerous instances of defying team protocol.

    Australia's Andrew Symonds was another controversial star likes Stokes.

    Australia’s Andrew Symonds was another controversial star likes Stokes.

    Stokes’ list of ‘incidents’ is just as shocking. England must therefore decide if Stokes should continue to be a senior member of the set-up because it will signal their stance on such incidents to the rest of the world and its own cricketers.

    As of now, Stokes is not being considered for selection.

    But if Stokes somehow finds himself on the plane to Australia for the Ashes, the England board will be accused of having different yardsticks for different players as someone like Kevin Pietersen saw his career go up in smoke because the management decided his presence was unhealthy for the dressing room.

    However, if England decide to make an example out of Stokes, they face the possibility of losing out on a valuable player to T20 leagues across the globe as Stokes will most probably be hired by franchises irrespective of his ‘rap sheet’. England find themselves between a rock and a very hard place.

    They need to take a stand and accept they will either lose a talented player for a considerable time or lose a part of their credibility if they decide to let this one slide. There is no room for a third option here.

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