England head coach Brendon McCullum has revealed that his immediate reaction to Ben Stokes’ curfew breach ranged from disbelief to anger before ultimately giving way to concern for the skipper’s well-being.
Stokes has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval after breaking a team-imposed midnight curfew while celebrating England’s victory in the opening Test at Lord’s. The all-rounder, along with teammate Gus Atkinson, became involved in an incident with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa, prompting an internal investigation by the ECB, which is still ongoing.
Auvaa was alleged to have thrown a punch at Atkinson and hit an ECB security guard instead. The fallout sparked speculation over Stokes’ future, with reports suggesting
he could step down as captain or even retire from international cricket. However, no decisions came through until Monday (June 15), and Stokes joined the Durham squad for the county season for the time being.
Speaking on Monday, McCullum admitted he was initially stunned when he learned of the incident.
“When I first found out about it I was slightly bewildered, if I’m being honest. Then you go through a range of emotions. You go from being bewildered, on to angry, on to kind of gutted,” he said. “But very quickly my overall emotion turned to worry and concern for Ben in particular. Since then it has been about how we support these guys, whilst not overlooking the fact they have not lived up to the standards we have set for ourselves. For me it’s very much about how we support these guys through the next stage, in particular Ben. That is very much where my mind is at, my worry for him.”
McCullum repeatedly declined to discuss whether Stokes should continue as captain, stressing that any leadership decisions could wait.
“What will be will be, down the line. Those decisions are not for now. The concern is making sure Ben is fine,” he said. “We need to make sure we look after him, rally around him, and in time we’ll get on to those sorts of decisions. I’m worried about Ben. That’s it,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
