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The England national cricket team has been embroiled in an unwanted off-field controversy after Test captain Ben Stokes was involved in a late-night nightclub incident. This happened just hours after England’s 115-run win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson was also present with Stokes during the night out and reports suggest that things turned sour in the nightclub. Following the incident, Stokes and Atkinson were dropped from the England squad for the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval.
Steve Harmison supports Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson
Even the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched an official investigation to find out what exactly happened that night. There are also reports that a player associated with the Saracens Rugby Academy was also involved in this matter, which makes the matter even more serious.
While the investigation is still ongoing, former England fast bowler Steve Harmison has come out in support of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson. After Michael Vaughan rejected any harsh punishment for Ben Stokes, Harmison feels people are reacting too quickly without knowing the whole truth and believes it should not be considered a career-ending mistake.
Harmison has stressed that players make mistakes and it should be handled internally rather than making a huge public controversy, especially when nothing serious has been proven yet.
I don’t think it’s a dismissable offence: Steve Harmison on Ben Stokes
He believes that Stokes has served English cricket for years, so he needs to support him and not take a drastic decision like retirement after Joe Root becomes the captain.
Steve Harmison said on talkSPORT Cricket, “I don’t think it’s a sackable offence. I think he’s made a mistake. I’ve been on HNG and Breakfast, and it feels like I’m defending Ben Stokes. He’s given the authority to the ECB to make a decision, and it’s a decision you didn’t really need them to make.”
“I think because of that, behind closed doors, if I’m Rob, I’m working on my captain and really telling him the right thing to do. But I’m also going: There’s no way in the world I’m going to retire or sack a guy who’s played 120 Test matches, is 35 and has two kids, and all he’s done in the cold light of day is stay out past curfew.”
Steve Harmison demands fair treatment of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson
The former England bowler also suggested that the recent reaction to the Stokes and Atkinson situation is creating too much noise before all the facts are clear. He believes people should wait for the results of a full investigation before jumping to conclusions.
Harmison also supported both players, saying that they should be treated fairly until the truth comes out. The cricket pundit also believes that if anything is found wrong, Stokes will take responsibility for it.
He concluded, “I want to make sure now that there is a protective hand around Atkinson and Stokes at the moment because there is a duty of care from a team perspective to make sure their mental well-being is OK. Because we don’t know the facts and there are a lot of things going on here, but there are two boys here who I think need care from a team perspective.”
