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The Ben Stokes incident has sparked widespread controversy in the cricket world. Because of the nightclub incident, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) dropped both Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson from the team.
Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn arises question whether a board should interfere in a cricketer’s life outside the ground. During an online interaction with his former teammate, AB de Villiers, Steyn states that cricketers also need personal space like other normal human beings.
English cricket is under a pile of controversies
England cricketer’s found themselves in multiple controversial situations outside the ground in the recent past. Stoke himself has been surrounded by controversial incidents on more than one occasion. During their tour of New Zealand and Australia, the drinking habits of the English cricketers were in the headlines.
To keep the focus on the performance, ECB has taken multiple steps; they talked with the head coach Brendon McCullum and captains Ben Stokes and Harry Brook, but does it make any difference? Concerns were raised again as soon as the news about Stokes' involvement in a nightclub incident broke on media platforms.
Should the cricket boards allow their players to move freely?
During the online conversation, Dale Steyn says that, like every other person, cricketers do need personal time. They can go to the places they want to refresh their mind. “Into it, you know, we're human, you know Like we're no different to every other person that goes to work every single day and makes his money so that he can go And he can have a good time with his friends."
"Maybe at the tennis club on a Friday, maybe at the paddle club and have a couple beers afterwards Some guys like to go out for a night of you know, music and dancing. I don't know, you know,” the former cricketer said in the online conversation.
“People, you do know, so there's a human element to it. Um where I feel If you start to take away from from grown adult men, they they're gonna rebel and they're gonna find ways to do it You know, that's just that's just what happens Um, then there's a professional side of it where if you know, you're on your final warning and you have as much Um, I wouldn't say power but authority Uh is maybe a better word that stokes he's got,” Dale Steyn raises his concerns.
🔴 CRICKETERS NEED FREEDOM TOO – DALE STEYN TAKE ON BEN STOKES🤯
— Sam (@cricsam02) June 13, 2026
🎙️: Cricketers are normal people who deserve personal time, but senior players like Ben Stokes must be extra careful because they are always in the spotlight. He also defended players by saying they cannot control… pic.twitter.com/CBvZFPs7Kt
Dale Steyn raises concerns over Ben Stokes' choice as well
Dale Steyn further points out that professional cricketers should behave more sensibly outside the ground. Whether it was safe for a player to go to a nightclub is a questionable decision by the former Pacer.
“You need to be a little bit smarter in terms of where you're going and and what you're doing Spot on You also can't um predict what's going to happen others I mean, I wasn't as famous in that sense.
"But I remember I went out once or twice and people would see you they'd be like, oh, there's that guy Dude I would buy a round of drinks for people I'd be walking holding the thing and some guy would just come and elbow me That my drinks would spill all over the place. No people bring it out of you. There's no doubt,” Dale Steyn shared the incidents as examples.
