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The England National Cricket Team has found itself in an unwanted off-field controversy after Test captain Ben Stokes’ involvement in the late-night nightclub incident. This happened just hours after England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson was also present with Stokes during the night out, and reports suggest things turned ugly at the nightclub. After the incident, Stokes and Atkinson were dropped from England’s squad for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval.
Steve Harmison backs Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson
Even the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has started an official investigation to find out exactly what happened that night. There are also reports that a player connected with the Saracens rugby academy was involved in the situation, which has made this case more serious.
While the investigation is still going on, former England pacer Steve Harmison has come out in support of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson. After Michael Vaughan rejected any harsh punishment for Ben Stokes, Harmison feels people are reacting too quickly without knowing the full truth and believes this should not be treated as a career-ending mistake.
Harmison has stressed that players make mistakes and this should be handled internally rather than making it a big public controversy, especially when nothing serious has been proved yet.
I don't think it's a sackable offence: Steve Harmison on Ben Stokes
He feels Stokes has given years of service to English cricket, so he needs to support that he should not take the harsh decisions like retirement after Joe Root replaced him as captain.
Steve Harmison said on talkSPORT Cricket, "I don't think it's a sackable offence. I think he's made a mistake. I've been on HNG and Breakfast, and it sounds as though I'm defending Ben Stokes. He's given the ECB a decision to make, and it's a decision you didn't really need them to have."
"I think because of that, behind closed doors, if I'm Rob Key, I'm having a go at my captain and really reading him the right act. But I'm also going: there's no way in the world I am retiring or sacking a bloke who's played 120 Test matches, is 35 years old with two children, and all he's really done in the cold light of day is stay out after a curfew."
Steve Harmison calls for fair treatment of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson
The former England bowler also suggested that the recent reaction around the Stokes and Atkinson situation is getting too much noise before all the facts are clear. He feels people should wait for the full investigation results before jumping to conclusions.
Harmison also supported both the players, saying they should be treated fairly until the truth comes out. The cricket pundit also believes that Stokes will take responsibility if anything is found wrong.
He signed off by saying, “What I want to happen now is to make sure there’s a protective arm around Atkinson and Stokes at the minute because there’s a duty of care from a team point of view to make sure their mental well-being is alright. Because we don’t know the facts and there are a lot of things going on here, but there are two lads here who I think need looking after from a team point of view.”
