Kevin Pietersen feels that it would be a grave mistake on England’s behalf if they dropped Ben Stokes for the Ashes
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Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen believes that the national team “should just stay at home” if they drop all-rounder Ben Stokes for the Ashes in Australia later this year.
Stokes was arrested on Monday morning following an altercation outside the Mbargo nightclub in Bristol, which left a 27-year-old man with facial injuries.
The 26-year-old was held overnight in prison on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm, but was released later on in the morning.
Reports from the British press claim that Stokes injured his hand during the incident and that he could be stripped of the vice-captaincy.
However, should he miss the Ashes, Pietersen reiterated that England should not bother travelling Down Under.
OH NO!
Major Ashes scare!
If Stokes doesn't go to Aus, then England should just stay at home! https://t.co/chG7zrxhjo— KP (@KP24) September 26, 2017
“If Stokes doesn’t go to Aus, then England should just stay at home!,” Pietersen said via his Twitter account.
Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Vaughan is confident that Stokes will be included in the Ashes squad and keep hold of the vice-captaincy. However, he slammed the all-rounder for his actions.
“The facts are the England vice-captain was out at 2.30am, drinking two days before an England game and he has hit someone,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph. “What this has done is cast a massive shadow over the England team at the worst time … he could be charged. In Australia, he will be goaded from the moment he arrives.
“In time we could be describing him as a cricketing genius. But he has to understand that if he wants to be a superstar, and go over to India and earn huge IPL contracts, and keep them, he has to be careful off the field.
“I am not saying be teetotal or not have a flutter at the casino. He needs a way to let off steam and live a life.
“But on the field he is a streetwise cricketer. He understands the game. He gets cricket. But he is not streetwise off the pitch and that could be his downfall. I am hoping this is his lesson.
“He has been close before … But now he has to look himself in the mirror and say enough is enough. If he doesn’t then something like this will happen again.”
Weighing in on the matter, ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain feels that Stokes’ teammates will have to look after him going forward.
“You can be absolutely sure there will be someone in Australia out to make a name for themselves who will know what Ben is like and will try to wind him up,” Hussain wrote in his piece for the Daily Mail. “This is where the England team can come in. They are not just a team until 6pm or whenever a day’s play ends.
“They are a team outside working hours too and have to try to look after Stokes.”
Former Australia batsman Michael Slater admitted that if Stokes were to be dropped for the Ashes, it would be a huge blow for England.
“I certainly hope he’s playing for England because I think he’ll play well out here,” Slater told Sky Sports Radio on Wednesday. “I’d like to see him do a job for England just because it’ll be competitive. He’s a proper allrounder. He means a lot to England.”