{"id":178565,"date":"2026-06-09T07:20:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=178565"},"modified":"2026-06-09T07:20:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:50:04","slug":"gower-says-stokes-england-captaincy-in-severe-doubt-after-nightclub-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=178565","title":{"rendered":"Gower says Stokes\u2019 England captaincy in severe doubt after nightclub incident"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Former England captain David Gower said on Tuesday that he fears Ben Stokes\u2019 reign as Test skipper may already be in \u201cthe past tense\u201d after the all-rounder\u2019s involvement in a nightclub incident with a Saracens rugby player.<\/p>\n

Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson are facing a probe by the England and Wales Cricket Board for breaking team curfew rules on Monday morning following England\u2019s win in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The pair was also reported to have been involved in what became a physical confrontation with the rugby player.<\/p>\n

A security guard who was with the England duo was reportedly injured in the incident.<\/p>\n

It is the latest controversy involving the England team after a tour of Australia where the side faced allegations of a drinking culture during a 4-1 Ashes series loss that concluded in January.<\/p>\n

The squad announcement for next week\u2019s second Test at the Oval has been delayed, and there are now growing concerns over whether Stokes can continue as England captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in severe doubt,\u201d Gower told the BBC on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the responsibilities as a captain is to set the right tone; if you\u2019re leading, you have to set the right example.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 69-year-old, one of the outstanding batters of his generation, added: \u201cThey have to sort it out. If you\u2019ve agreed to a curfew, you have to abide by it.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of respect for Ben and most of the things he\u2019s done for the last three years or so as England captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has become, or I probably have to use the past tense now, had become, a very important figure as a leader of that team. I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s thinking at the moment… regret could be the least of it. He will be mortified, I\u2019m sure, to have put himself in that position in the early hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a misjudgement. You\u2019ve put yourself in a bad position and you\u2019ve put yourself at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stokes, 35, spoke of giving up alcohol during his recovery from injury last year, but soon after England had wrapped up a dominant 115-run win against New Zealand at Lord\u2019s to go 1-0 up in a three-match series, he told reporters: \u201cI won\u2019t be really happy until I get to share a beer with the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Stokes is stripped of the captaincy, vice-captain Harry Brook, already the captain of England\u2019s white-ball teams, could lead the host at the Oval.<\/p>\n

This would represent a remarkable reversal of fortune for Brook, who was fined and censured for late-night drinking and clashing with a nightclub bouncer before captaining England in a one-day international in Wellington in October.<\/p>\n

That episode led England to impose a midnight curfew on all players and staff.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Stokes was involved in an incident outside a nightclub in Bristol, southwest England, that led to him being charged with affray.<\/p>\n

He subsequently missed the 2017-18 Ashes tour before being found not guilty of the charge following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in August 2018.<\/p>\n

Published on Jun 09, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former England captain David Gower said on Tuesday that he fears Ben Stokes\u2019 reign as Test skipper may already be in \u201cthe past tense\u201d after the all-rounder\u2019s involvement in a nightclub incident with a Saracens rugby player. Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson are facing a probe by the England and Wales Cricket Board for breaking … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":178566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HSP187381.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":178357,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=178357","url_meta":{"origin":178565,"position":0},"title":"Stokes captaincy on the line following nightclub incident – ESPNcricinfo","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Stokes captaincy on the line following nightclub incident\u00a0\u00a0ESPNcricinfoECB Statement: Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson\u00a0\u00a0England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)Stokes & Atkinson investigated over nightclub incident\u00a0\u00a0BBCBen Stokes\u2019 future as Test captain in doubt after nightclub incident\u00a0\u00a0The GuardianBen Stokes\u2019s future in doubt after altercation with Saracens player\u00a0\u00a0The Times Source link","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/J6_coFbogxhRI9iM864NL_liGXvsQp2AupsKei7z0cNNfDvGUmWUy20nuUhkREQyrpY4bEeIBucs0-w300-rw.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":178281,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=178281","url_meta":{"origin":178565,"position":1},"title":"ECB to investigate Stokes, Atkinson over nightclub incident","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England Test captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson are under investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over an \u201cundisclosed\u201d incident at a night club in the early hours after its first Test win over New Zealand. \u201cThe ECB is currently investigating a breach of team protocols following\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2226310078.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2226310078.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2226310078.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2226310078.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2226310078.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":176286,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=176286","url_meta":{"origin":178565,"position":2},"title":"Stokes backs Archer amid criticism over IPL commitments and absence from first Test against New Zealand","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England captain Ben Stokes said the \u201clandscape of cricket\u201d has changed as he defended Jofra Archer\u2019s absence from the first Test against New Zealand at Lord\u2019s because of the fast bowler\u2019s IPL commitments. 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