Strauss reads riot act as sponsors balk
England players pull out of Buttler’s stag do in fallout from Stokes’ arrest
Joe Root and Stuart Broad pulled out of Jos Buttler’s stag weekend in Amsterdam yesterday as the fallout from the Ben Stokes arrest continued to engulf cricket.
Root and Broad are close friends with Buttler and share the same agent but decided not to put themselves in any potentially awkward situation this weekend in Amsterdam with the conduct of England cricketers now under immense scrutiny after they were told to improve their behaviour.
It is understood some members of the team are planning to go away with Buttler and help him celebrate this weekend but the whole England squad have been read the riot act with Andrew Strauss, the team director, issuing strict instructions to the players demanding they behave themselves as he bids to instill a change of culture within the side.
Strauss believes in giving players responsibility for their own actions but the events of this week have made him realise that can no longer continue, with a crackdown on discipline now certain, particularly ahead of the Ashes, normally the most challenging of all tours. The squad are also set for extra security in Australia this winter and will be issued with reminders about standards of behaviour.
For the ECB the Stokes and Hales fall out has potentially wider ramifications. Officials are currently renegotiating the current deal with one-day sponsors Royal London and fear the negative publicity this week has put that in danger. They are also in the market to replace Investec as Test-match title sponsors, the second biggest sponsorship deal in English cricket. They will also soon start looking for title sponsors of the new Twenty20 league. The deal with Natwest to sponsor county cricket’s Blast competition has also ended, meaning the bad publicity could not have come at a worse time.
Geeene King, the brewer, has also decided to pull an advert featuring Stokes. The 30-second ad, called ‘The Knockabout’, was aired regularly during Wednesday’s fourth one-day international between England and the West Insides but will now not be shown again.
A Greene King spokesman said: “Given the ongoing police investigation, we have decided to stop broadcasting the IPA cricket advert, which was filmed last year and features a number of England cricket players, including Ben
Stokes.”
The all-rounder’s personal sponsors, New Balance and Red Bull, did not respond to repeated requests
for comment on whether they would stand by or dump him or whether his contracts with them contained any behavioural penalty clauses.
It is unclear at this stage whether Stokes will take part in the Ashes, with the ECB’S decision likely to be led by the outcome of the police investigation. The only hope he has of touring is if he is charged with the lesser offence of affray. But if he is charged with the more serious offence of causing actual bodily harm then there is an acceptance at the ECB he will play no part in the Ashes. The pace of the police investigation is out of the ECB’S control. Stokes, who was arrested on Monday morning on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm, is due to be interviewed by detectives next week. Alex Hales is also set to be interviewed under caution. He has not been arrested and neither player has been charged. On Thursday Strauss referred their cases to an independent cricket disciplinary commission. It is understood the cricket case will not be heard until the end of the criminal investigation, which if it goes to court, could be many months away. It is feared the cricket disciplinary case could prejudice any criminal trial if it were to go ahead first.
Avon and Somerset police yesterday launched an appeal for two men to come forward to support the story put forward by Stokes and Hales after the incident in Bristol on Monday. Sources have said the England players were responding to homophobic taunts made at two unidentified men. “We believe there are two specific witnesses, both men, with information about what happened in the moments prior to the disorder who are yet to come forward and we’d appeal for them to do so as soon as possible,” said the police in a statement.
At the moment Stokes and Hales have been put on indefinite suspension on full pay by the ECB. The England squad leaves for Australia on Oct 28.