England are considering a total ban on alcohol during international series after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson breached team curfew following their win against New Zealand earlier this week.
Stokes was a leading figure in implementing a midnight curfew, which was put in place following England’s Ashes defeat earlier this year. Its introduction followed several publicised incidents involving England players and alcohol, including Harry Brook’s altercation with a bouncer in Wellington the night before an ODI last year, and a video of Ben Duckett seemingly intoxicated in Noosa during England’s mid-Ashes series break.
Speaking in a press conference at The Oval today, Rob Key said: “I’m trying to give myself a bit of time to look at, actually have they been strict enough? Even when they win a game of cricket, is it now time where there’s just no alcohol at any time at any stage?
“I need to think through this because I don’t want to make a rash decision that actually hinders the team and creates a situation where they don’t feel like they can do anything. But the players now have to show, and I think they have to show the public, that they can be trusted. And at this point it’s hard to say that you can [trust them].”
Rob Key: ‘It could have been a lot worse’
Key also denied that the England team have become a national embarrassment, but conceded that if the curfew hadn’t been in place then the incident earlier this week “could have been a lot worse”.
“Gus Atkinson says he didn’t know [that there was a curfew in place], Ben Stokes and I have spent the last three months working through a number of things on how do we improve the culture, the performance and everything with this team, he’s been an integral part of that.
“So, as far as I’m concerned, as much as I’m angry, frustrated at having to sit here and talk through this, if those protocols weren’t in place it could have been a lot worse… When you end up as part of the story for being out and it’s alcohol, that’s not what you expect from an England cricketer.”
Following the Ashes loss last winter, the ECB conducted a review into what went wrong before and during the series. Both Key and Brendon McCullum kept their jobs following the review, which identified problems with preparation and squad selection. Speaking after the findings of the review were published, Key denied that England had a drinking problem, highlighting the stress on players spending long periods away from home during high-profile series.
Also read: Why Root, not Brook, is standing in for Stokes as England Test captain
Rob Key: ‘Process has to play out’ before decision made on Stokes’ future
Following details emerging of the incident on Monday, it was reported that Stokes was considering his future both as England Test captain and as a player. It was reported that both Atkinson and Stokes were present at a nightclub in the early hours of the morning, when a Saracens rugby player aimed a punch at Atkinson. The punch connected with an ECB security staff member, who required stitches.
“Don’t underestimate how tough the last six months have been on Ben Stokes,” said Key. “We’ve got to let the process play out because I want to try and work out exactly what the best thing to do for this team is and what the best thing to do for Ben Stokes is.
“It’s still very raw all of this, certainly for Ben, Brendon and myself, the ECB. So I don’t want to speculate on any of that until I’ve had a proper think, and we’ve had a proper think and seen exactly what happens in the next week or so.”
Asked whether it had crossed his mind to sack Stokes, Key replied: “At this point in time, it’s not crossed my mind to get that far ahead.”
England named their squad for the second Test against New Zealand, which will take place at The Oval next week. Joe Root will captain the side on an interim basis, picked for the job ahead of vice-captain Harry Brook. “Ultimately we just thought this was too big a job at this stage for Harry to take on in the interim, even,” said Key. “We thought long and hard about the way to go, there’s so much that comes with the Test captaincy even if you’re only doing it for one Test match.
“Harry Brook's the white ball captain, I think he's been outstanding at doing that job on the field in particular, and he's coming of age as a captain. There's lots of different factors of why we went for Joe Root but ultimately when English cricket's in a hole Joe Root's the man that we asked to dig us out of it, whether that's on the field or off the field. We're incredibly lucky to have him, and when I spoke to him about whether he would consider this he didn't hesitate.”
Both Stokes and Atkinson will miss the Test match, while Jordan Cox and Jofra Archer have been included in the squad as replacements.
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