Ben Stokes is expected to be fit for the Ashes after fracturing his hand
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
England all-rounder Ben Stokes will continue to be vice-captain of the Test team despite sustaining a fractured hand in an altercation outside a nightclub in Bristol that led to him being arrested.
Stokes was detained by police on Monday morning and spent the night in prison on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm. However, he was released later on in the morning.
Even though he was released, Stokes missed the fourth ODI against the West Indies on Wednesday, along with opening batsman Alex Hales, who returned to Bristol to help the police with their investigation as he was with Stokes at the time of the incident.
Following his arrest, there was speculation that Stokes would miss the Ashes in Australia later this year as he injured his hand. But, on Wednesday, Stokes was named in England’s Ashes squad.
While Stokes has been included in England’s Ashes team and retained the vice-captaincy, he is still in hot water as Somerset and Avon Police, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), have both launched probes into what occurred outside Mbargo nightclub.
“Right now is not the time to comment on what may or may not happen from a disciplinary point of view,” England’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “At the moment I am speaking to the players individually to get their accounts of what went on on Sunday night.
“There is a disciplinary protocol in place as part of their conditions of employment, and we need to follow that for all players who may be subject to disciplinary proceedings, including Ben.”
Despite what happened at the nightclub in Bristol, Strauss insisted that the England players will continue to be responsible for their own behaviour off the pitch and won’t be monitored like children.
“It is my view, and a view shared by Trevor Bayliss, that we should treat people like adults and give players personal responsibility on and off the pitch,” Strauss said. “It’s how we get the best results on the pitch and how we ensure a harmonious environment off the pitch.
“When things like this happen, it’s a moment to step back and ask if we do everything exactly right. We’ll be looking at that in the coming days.
“Instinctively I still think that philosophy is the way to go, but it is important that the players understand and recognise their responsibility as international cricketers, and what potential damage can be done to the England team and the sport if we are not seen to be good role models for the game.”
Strauss added that it will take time for the inquiry to be completed and made it clear that it won’t be completed prior to the end of the ongoing ODI series against the West Indies.
“It is is early days. I am just beginning to establish what went on over the course of that evening,” he said. “And the disciplinary process will flush that out. But I don’t anticipate those enquiries being finished before the end of the one-day series.
“As part of the disciplinary process we are obviously going to look at what went on on Sunday night and any other relevant information.”
When asked if any changes will be made to England’s Ashes squad, the 40-year-old said: “It is very hard for me to pre-judge anything until we have been through the process. I don’t want to speculate on the facts.”
While Stokes has been diagnosed with a fractured hand, Strauss pointed out that the all-rounder is set to make a full recovery prior to the start of the Ashes in November.
“There are further tests that need to be done but at this stage he is expected to be able to play a full part in all the Ashes Tests,” Strauss said. “All we can do is deal with what we know and what we are in control of.
“We have no idea how things will pan out and it would be wrong for us to second-guess that in any way – so we are judging our Ashes selection on the basis of what we know and what we are in control of.”
Meanwhile, England head coach Trevor Bayliss was glad that Stokes kept hold of the vice-captaincy, but expressed his disappointment towards the altercation he got involved in.
Trevor Bayliss was less than impressed with Ben Stokes’ actions
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
“What he has shown so far for us is that he is a leader within the group when it comes to cricket – there is no denying that,” Bayliss told Sky Sports ahead of the fourth ODI against the West Indies. “I’m sure there will be some investigations going forward. But at the moment I am quite happy for him to be the vice-captain.”
Bayliss also conceded that the team management may consider imposing a team curfew in order to ensure incidents like this don’t happen in the future.
“Certainly we will be looking into that,” he said. “I have been with teams before and we have had curfews and that doesn’t work either. Whichever way you go, a lot of the responsibility comes back on to the players. They are adults and they have to take responsibility. They are professionals. The other night a few guys being out was very unprofessional in the middle of a series.”