MINDERS FOR ASHES STARS
England act after Stokes fracas
ENGLAND’S cricketers will be shadowed by minders in Australia to avoid a repeat of the incident outside a Bristol bar that has left Ben Stokes facing a police investigation.
Stokes sustained a fracture to the little finger of his right hand in a fracas that could lead to charges of actual bodily harm.
England will step up their security operation for the Ashes but whether they abandon their relaxed attitude towards players drinking after or even during a match and introduce curfews remains to be seen.
Team director Andrew Strauss said: ‘We’ll be looking at that but I still think our philosophy of treating players like adults is the right way to go.’
At least the one silver lining from the dark cloud hanging over Stokes is that England were able to bury the bad news of an uninspiring Ashes selection.
As they returned to the tried and failed figures of James Vince and Gary Ballance for the latest attempt to solve their perennial middle-order puzzle, all attention at The Oval was elsewhere.
Not only is Stokes facing disciplinary action but Sportsmail understands Strauss is investigating the involvement of all players who sampled Bristol’s lively club scene. That means Alex Hales, forced to miss England’s win in yesterday’s fourth one-day international to help police with their enquiries, and others including Jake Ball, pictured during England’s revelries, could face punishment.
Jimmy Anderson was also out late but will not be sanctioned as he was only in Bristol commentating with Sky.
Sadly, the sobering reality of a corrosive drinking culture prevalent within the closest knit of England teams has forced team director Strauss and coach Trevor Bayliss to question their commitment to a trusting environment. England remain confident Stokes (left) will be fit to board the plane to Australia on October 28 and play a full part in the opening Test in Brisbane a month later but were not so sure about the three warm-up games before it.
Whether he will still be Joe Root’s deputy depends on Strauss’s enquiries and the police investigation into allegations Stokes caused actual bodily harm at 2.35am outside the Mbargo club.
‘All we can do is deal with what we know,’ said Strauss on the decision to name Stokes, provisionally as vice-captain, in their 16-man squad. ‘We have no idea how things are going to develop from a police perspective and it would be wrong to secondguess that. We’re judging our selection on that basis.’
But Strauss refused to confirm Stokes would still be Root’s deputy at the Gabba. ‘I don’t think now is the time to comment on what may or may not happen from a disciplinary point of view,’ he said. ‘I’m speaking to players individually to get their accounts of what happened on Sunday night.’
This is a sorry mess at the end of such a largely productive season and Stokes has scored an own goal in giving Australia ammunition to aim at the old enemy before they even arrive in Perth. Bayliss is a huge admirer of Stokes and what he brings to the England team but there is no doubt the man most responsible for creating a relaxed, mature culture among the players feels let down.
Bayliss, when asked on Sky by Nasser Hussain if it was acceptable for England’s players to be out so late even after a win, said: ‘Definitely not and we’ll be looking into that.
‘We’ve had curfews before in teams I’ve been involved in and they haven’t worked. Whatever way you look at it, responsibility lies with the players. They’re adults and professionals but going out in the middle of a oneday series wasn’t professional.’