Cut Ben Stokes some slack, Bayliss tells ICC
Ben Stokes is seen as a worthy successor to Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff as a worldclass England all-rounder, but his short fuse is drawing unwanted attention in the subcontinent.
Ben Stokes, 25, ran afoul of the International Cricket Council code of conduct and was reprimanded at the Mohali Test and awarded a demerit point for verbally clashing with India skipper Virat Kohli after being dismissed in the first innings.
However, England coach Trevor Bayliss has criticised ICC for being too harsh, in comments to the British media. It reported Stokes is only the six visiting player to score a century (128 in Rajkot) and take a five-for (5/73 in Mohali) in a series in India. Botham achieved the feat twice, in the 1980 jubilee Test and on the 1981-82 tour.
With two Tests left --- the next game starts in Mumbai on Thursday --- the England camp is worried the combustible New Zealand-born player could be further exploited.
“I think he’s improving,” Bayliss was quoted as saying. “I think at times ICC are almost looking for things.”
Everyone would remember Stokes imploding in the World Twenty20 final at the Eden Gardens in March when West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite hit him for four sixes in the final over to snatch the Cup, leaving him gutted.
Stokes clashed in Bangladesh too before arriving in India. The Mohali reprimand was his second, after being fined 15% of his match fee in the second Test in Dhaka for “verbally engaging” with Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman. Two more charges in the next two years will lead to a suspension of one Test or two ODIs.
“I agree things have been out of hand in the past, and we don’t want it to go overboard,” Bayliss was quoted as saying. “But sometimes a little bit of by-play between a couple of guys on either side who are passionate about their cricket and their team, I think it’s good for the game.
“We’ve just got to be careful about what happens if we completely cut that out. Having some personalities in the game is fantastic to watch.”
Bayliss urged Stokes to get smarter. “The send-off was probably the way it was. But he’s got to learn to deal with it in a different way, or get away with it a bit better.”
Stokes is no marginal player moaning about everything. He has been pivotal in that England middle-order. He averages 53.4 in the current series, with a century and fifty, and has taken seven wickets.
“He just doesn’t stop. He’s like a wind-up clock. Some of us are in awe of what he does. You get him off at the break, wind him up and send him back out,” Bayliss said.
Player behaviour will be discussed in the World Cricket Committee meeting of the Marylebone Cricket Club, guardians of the game’s laws, in Mumbai this week. The meeting, to be chaired by former England captain Mike Brearley, will consider many options, including the possible use of red and yellow cards, sin bins or run penalties.