{"id":179350,"date":"2026-06-11T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179350"},"modified":"2026-06-11T09:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:15:00","slug":"england-chief-key-non-committal-on-stokes-captaincy-future-ponders-alcohol-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179350","title":{"rendered":"England chief Key non-committal on Stokes\u2019 captaincy future, ponders alcohol ban"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

England cricket chief Rob Key is considering imposing a total alcohol ban on the squad following a nightclub incident involving Ben Stokes but said \u201cno rash decisions\u201d will be made on the all-rounder\u2019s long-term future as Test captain.<\/p>\n

Stokes will miss next week\u2019s second Test against New Zealand at the Oval after he and team-mate Gus Atkinson were dropped for breaking a curfew following England\u2019s win in the series opener at Lord\u2019s. Their night out ended in a confrontation featuring Saracens rugby union player Totoa Auvaa.<\/p>\n

The incident remains subject to investigation by both the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the independent Cricket Regulator as well as by Saracens.<\/p>\n

Stokes has made no comment amid speculation the 35-year-old might voluntarily resign as captain or even quit international cricket.<\/p>\n

But Key, the managing director of men\u2019s cricket at the ECB, did not rule out stripping Stokes of leadership duties as he addressed the issue in public for the first time during an Oval press conference on Thursday.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Women\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026 arrives bearing reminders of a changed world order<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cCan Ben captain (England) again?,\u201d said Key. \u201cI think we\u2019ve just got to let that play out. The decision, as I look forward, is about what\u2019s best for the team and what\u2019s best for Ben as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t got an answer for that at the moment, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is probably the best thing for all of us,\u201d added Key, a former England batsman.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody wants to make any rash decisions, whether that\u2019s on Ben\u2019s side or the other end. We\u2019ll take the next step when we get to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if the wait for the investigations to conclude meant sacking Stokes as full-time captain was no longer an option, Key replied: \u201cAs far as sacking, or any of that stuff, we haven\u2019t got anywhere close to being that far in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Key made no attempt to his his frustration at recent events after he and Stokes had worked on drawing up a new code of behaviour following a woeful 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia concluded in January where England faced accusations of tolerating a drinking culture.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hard to say players can be trusted\u2019<\/h4>\n

He said\u00a0he was pondering an even more severe policy of a total alcohol ban for players on England duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when they win a game of cricket, is it now a time when there\u2019s just no alcohol at any time and at any stage?,\u201d said Key. \u201cThe players now have to show the public that they can be trusted. At this point it\u2019s hard to say they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want our players out late at night in alcohol-related incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019ve become a national embarrassment. I think that Stokes and (coach Brendon) McCullum are (one of) the most successful coach and captain partnerships we\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe Root had been made interim skipper for the second Test series at the Oval, rather than vice-captain Harry Brook, who was fined and warned for a nightclub clash with a bouncer in Wellington, New Zealand, in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just thought this was too big a job at this stage for Harry to take on,\u201d admitted Key.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, when English cricket\u2019s in a hole, Joe Root is the man that we ask to dig us out of it, whether that\u2019s on the field or off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly lucky to have him. And when I spoke to him about whether he would consider this, he didn\u2019t hesitate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Published on Jun 11, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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

England cricket chief Rob Key is considering imposing a total alcohol ban on the squad following a nightclub<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":179351,"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_feature_clip_id":0,"_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-179350","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\/TH10-INSTA-BOYCGSIFDT1VB.3.jpg.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":178357,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=178357","url_meta":{"origin":179350,"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":184076,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=184076","url_meta":{"origin":179350,"position":1},"title":"Stokes and Atkinson cleared by Cricket Regulator after nightclub incident","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson will face no further action over the nightclub incident that prompted their exile from missing last week\u2019s second Test against New Zealand. 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