Mark Butcher has said it would not be a surprise if there were "multiple sackings" following Ben Stokes' and Gus Atkinson's breach of the England team's curfew during their celebrations after their win against New Zealand.
Stokes and Atkinson are both likely to miss next week's Test match at The Oval after they were involved in an incident at a nightclub in Chelsea in the early hours of Monday morning. It has been reported that a Saracens rugby player aimed a punch at Atkinson, which missed and connected with an ECB security guard.
England have had a midnight curfew in place since the start of their white-ball series in Sri Lanka earlier this year, following publicised incidents of team members out drinking during the Ashes. While no official statement has yet been made, Stokes is reportedly considering his position as captain, and the future of his playing career.
Speaking on Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast on Tuesday evening, Butcher said: "This whole thing could take on a completely different complexion. But their biggest problem is the curfew. You agreed to it, you broke it, and not only did you break it, you've ended up getting your security guy punched in the head. It kind of ends there.
"What Stokes decides to do about his own career, we don't know, we have no control over that. In any event, I think the ECB are going to have to do something, because otherwise it's just empty threats. As I've said they were right on the line anyway, and now this has happened."
'At the first hurdle, they've fallen down'
The incident follows similar patterns of behaviour to England's tours of New Zealand and Australia over the winter. Harry Brook, who is likely to captain England at The Oval next week, was heavily fined after an altercation with a bouncer in the early hours of the morning before an ODI in Wellington. In Australia, England players faced criticism for being seen drinking in bars having already gone 2-0 down in the series. A video emerged on social media of Ben Duckett during the series, seemingly intoxicated and unsure of his way back to the team hotel.
Despite calls for a change in leadership on and off the field over the winter, all of the key figures in England management from the winter remain in place. In an interview with Sky Sports Cricket earlier this year, England managing director Rob Key rejected the allegation that England had a drinking problem, but admitted "there's two or three players that can be irresponsible with alcohol given that opportunity".
"The England team would not have been under curfew had it not been for the shenanigans during the New Zealand and Australia tours," said Butcher. "I can imagine that as part of the conversation between the ECB, the people who pay the bills, Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes, Rob Key even, that you're all keeping your jobs, but we expect you to be spotless as part of that covenant. So therefore, the curfew was in place.
"At the first hurdle, they've fallen down. That in itself is extremely embarrassing for McCullum, it's extremely embarrassing for the ECB because breaking the curfew has now led to all of these extraordinary stories, and so everybody is in a really difficult position, nevermind Ben Stokes as the captain of the side.
"On the face of it, cricket players go out for a late night after winning a Test match is the worst scoop of all time, because that's basically what you do. It's not a back-to-back Test, they don't play again until Wednesday. If this was an isolated incident and there had been nothing before in the previous 10 months and this was a first offence, nobody would even have mentioned it. In fact, there probably wouldn't even have been a curfew, but we are exactly where we are. "
'It would not surprise me if there were multiple sackings'
The ECB has yet to release an official statement regarding potential sanctions for the players involved in the incident, but it is likely that both Stokes and Atkinson will miss England's next Test match against New Zealand.
"It would not surprise me whatsoever if there are multiple sackings because of this," said Butcher. "I'm not being holier than thou and saying this should never happen, because my God there never would never have been Test match cricket if stuff didn't happen after games. But the ECB now are in such a difficult position. The riot act has been read, and a team led by the same people who allowed all the shenanigans to go on during the winter, has let them down again."
Stokes is also reportedly considering his position as captain, and the future of his playing career following the incident.
"He took the Ashes loss particularly hard," said Butcher. "His batting form has been on a pretty constant slide for the last two or three years, his body keeps letting him down, he has to keep going through these mental rehabilitation spells to get himself back on the park again, he barely plays any cricket outside of Test matches because he's barely fit enough to do so.
"... All of this, it's a lot of pressure. And then something daft happens, you know you've dropped a bollock by being out past the curfew anyway, but then something like this kicks off, he might be thinking to himself, you know what I'm done, I can't do this anymore, regardless of who threw the first punch."
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