England considering curfew for players during Ashes series after Ben Stokes arrest leaves him with fractured finger
Durham all-rounder named in Ashes squad but remains under police investigation on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm during a Bristol nightclub incident
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Your support makes all the difference.England are considering imposing a curfew on players during this winter’s Ashes tour of Australia following the arrest of Ben Stokes on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in the early hours of Monday morning.
Stokes was subsequently released under police investigation and was on Wednesday named in England’s Ashes squad despite the incident at a Bristol nightclub that has left him with a fractured finger on his right hand and facing possible criminal charges.
The 26-year-old’s future as Test vice-captain now rests on the result of an internal England & Wales Cricket Board disciplinary review which will be concluded before the squad depart for Australia on 28 October.
As part of that, England will review their previously laissez-faire attitude towards players going out and drinking, especially with the volatile atmosphere the players could encounter off the field in Australia this winter.
Stokes was part of a group of at least seven England players out in the Clifton area of Bristol on Sunday night that also included Alex Hales, Jake Ball and James Anderson, none of whom were involved in the incident that led to the all-rounder’s arrest.
Asked if it was acceptable that his players were out in the early hours of the morning during a series, coach Trevor Bayliss said: “Definitely not.”
The Australian, speaking before the start of Wednesday’s fourth one-day international against West Indies, then raised the possibility of the squad being subject to a curfew during the Ashes.
“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.”
Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, also confirmed there would be a review at senior management level about how much freedom the players will be given in future.
“When these things happen it is always a moment to step back and look at whether we are doing these things right and obviously we will be looking at that over the coming days,” he said.
“It is important that players understand and recognise their responsibilities as international cricketers and what potential damage can be done to both the England team and the sport if we are not seen to be good role models for the game.
“It is early days – I am just beginning to establish what went on over the course of that evening. And the disciplinary process will flush that out.”
The disciplinary process will also determine Stokes’ future as vice-captain of the Test team.
“There is a disciplinary protocol that is in place as part of their condition of employment – we need to follow that,” said Strauss. “They may be subject to disciplinary proceedings, including Ben. As it currently stands he is vice-captain pending any disciplinary action.”
The fact Stokes has sustained damage to his right hand, though, is another concern for England, with the very likely possibility that he might miss some, if not all of his team’s warm-up games ahead of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on November 23.
“Ben did have an X-ray yesterday,” said Strauss. “Early results are he has got a minor fracture on his right hand. There are obviously more tests that need to be done, but the early indications are that he should be fit to play a full part in all the Ashes Test matches.”
Asked if Stokes will depart for Australia with the rest of the squad, Strauss said: “Absolutely from a medical point of view he would be in a position to do that.”
However, given he is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, the possibility of criminal charges could change things.
“All we can do is deal with what we know and what we are in control of,” said Strauss. “We have no idea how things will pan out and it would be wrong for us to second guess that anyway – so we are judging our Ashes selection on the basis of what we know and what we are in control of.”
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