The spineless ECB have only picked Stokes so he cannot sue them . . .
SPINELESS AND PATHETIC. They are the only words that can possibly be used to describe the ECB’s totally illogical, totally inconsistent decision to welcome Ben stokes back into the England fold now he is facing criminal charges.
How on earth can the governing body suspend their Test vice-captain before he was charged with any offence for his part in the ugly scenes outside a Bristol nightclub, and then give him the green light as soon as the Crown Prosecution service decide he has a case to answer?
The bottom line, of course, has nothing to do with principles. nothing to do with taking a moral stance and doing the right thing by a game that desperately wants a positive, family-friendly public image. The ECB are scared.
They are scared that stokes, who has signalled his intention to plead not guilty to affray and take his case to the Crown Court, could sue them for restraint of trade if he is forced to remain on the sidelines until he is cleared or found guilty.
and that fear is a sad and depressing reflection of England’s relationship with their best player and also of the priorities of stokes, who should be concentrating on clearing his name rather than rushing back into cricket.
If stokes had any self-awareness — or any realisation that he should never have been in the Mbargo club in the early hours of the morning while on international duty — the last thing on his mind would be the possibility of taking legal action against his employers.
There should be regret and sorrow at the consequences of his actions for so many people — team-mates, management, supporters and administrators — irrespective of whether he is found to have committed a criminal offence.
and he should not even be thinking of cashing in on the Indian Premier league while he has this hanging over him. Instead there appears to be nothing but denial.
The ECB had got it right before this. They had done the right thing once the horrible video of stokes and his teammate alex Hales becoming involved in a fight in the early hours of the morning had appeared in The Sun. They realised they could not pick stokes for the ashes while he was under that cloud and if that meant England’s chances of beating australia were compromised then so be it. some things are bigger than the game.
The ECB appeared to be wobbling in their resolve when they gave stokes the all-clear to position himself in new Zealand within easy reach of australia at the start of december before common sense prevailed and his hopes of an ashes comeback fizzled out.
Everything the ECB have said both publicly and privately since then has suggested they were fully aware of their wider responsibilities and would stand firm when the CPs decision was reached, particularly if stokes faced charges.
now the 13person ECB management board have spoiled all that. They have settled for expediency. They seem to think they can sneak
Stokes into New Zealand under the radar for his return rather than face the music in Australia where the spotlight would be more intense. That smacks of the ECB knowing deep down they are doing the wrong thing. The case of England footballer Jonathan Woodgate is relevant here. From the moment the former Leeds defender was charged after becoming involved in a nightclub fight in 2000 he did not play for his country again until after the resulting case. He was missing for almost three years. But the right thing was done and it should not matter how long it takes for Stokes’s case to come to court. The ECB have become unduly influenced by lawyers. And they have let the game down. Shame on them. And good luck with those plans to attract a family audience to the new Twenty20 competition in two years’ time.