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Delhi: After the Lord’s Test, when Ben Stokes got embroiled in the night-out brawl and breaking the team curfew, it was also reported that he was thinking of retiring from international cricket. On the other hand, cricket experts bound by old traditions like Geoff Boycott were putting pressure on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that it was enough to tolerate Stokes’ misdeeds, so remove him from the captaincy. Believe me, even then most of the experts in England were of the opinion that English cricket is not in a position to lose Stokes right now. Therefore, fine him but do not make the mistake of snatching the captaincy or removing him from the team.

In such a situation, it was good that Stokes himself did not take any wrong decision but the board did not play Stokes and Atkinson in the Oval Test on the plea of ​​investigation. Even though an experienced cricketer like Joe Root was made the captain again (but also note that Joe Brook, who was the vice-captain of the team, was not promoted), but England’s defeat in an almost one-sided match at the Oval proved that England actually has no one to replace Stokes. The investigation was completed quickly and Stokes is not only back in the team for the third Test of the series in Nottingham, but is also the captain.

The truth is that the history of English cricket in the last few years is more a story of losing captains and big players and English cricket suffered the entire loss due to this. It is true that better behavior and higher standards are expected from the person who is made captain, but in the crisis, the board remained stubborn in every matter. Look what happened to Mike Gatting, David Gower and Alan Lamb? All three Ashes winners and all three departed in disgrace.

Mike Gatting was stripped of the England captaincy for having fun with a barmaid during a Test in Nottingham. By then the board had not forgotten the shock of the umpiring controversy that took place in Pakistan a few months ago and had also vented out its anger. No matter how big a player David Gower is considered to be, the board removed him from the captaincy twice. He was also involved in a case of ‘flying the Tiger Moth’ during a tour match in Australia. Lamb was a high-profile member of the Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll tour in New Zealand in 1984. When these three were dropped, they could have contributed to the improvement of English cricket but the board did not work with anyone on the path to improvement or comeback. The names of Graham Thorpe, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff can also be added to such a list.

However, this time the board looked at English cricket. Even the decision of not playing Stokes in the Oval Test is not supported by many. It is true that Stokes did not live up to the expectations and good behavior that is expected from an England captain, but this time the board did not delay in bringing Stokes back into the Test scheme for the betterment of English cricket.

It is indeed a strange situation that Stokes has achieved so much that sometimes it is difficult to understand why he would indulge in such drinking and partying instead of focusing on performing better. Stokes is now 35 years old, not at that age where fun seems appropriate and this time too he was saved because this England team really needs Ben Stokes. Hours after the crushing defeat in the second Test against New Zealand, the England and Wales Cricket Board cleared Stokes and Gus Atkinson of celebrating after winning the first Test.

Still, one has to admit from within that alcohol and fun are becoming shameful for English cricket. It was only recently, because the story of openly drinking alcohol in the Noosa Tour during the Ashes and before that, of suppressing the infamy of Harry Brook’s argument with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington, that all this happened. In the case of Brook, a newspaper revealed the secret otherwise the Board would have suppressed it. So in these three new cases, the infamy ultimately fell on the Board. All three incidents could have been handled better.

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It is surprising that on one hand there is talk of team curfew and its implementation and on the other hand the captain himself said that he was not aware of its complete terms. Stokes got the advantage that when he was in the team in the first Test, the team looked better and united but when he was not in the team, the team’s performance was completely reversed. So there was no other way than to bring Stokes back.