Ben Stokes will return for England’s series decider against New Zealand at Trent Bridge on Thursday, after the Cricket Regulator today announced there was ‘insufficient evidence’ he had breached ECB regulations in his late-night jaunt to a Chelsea nightclub.
But he will do so under a cloud, after a tumultuous few weeks off the pitch and a crushing defeat by the Black Caps at The Oval.
With the fallout from the past fortnight far from over, and further changes inevitable in Nottingham, Daily Mail Sport‘s LAWRENCE BOOTH looks at the questions hanging over England’s under-pressure Test team…
Will Stokes and Brendon McCullum be able to work together productively?
Stokes’s fortnight in exile has further damaged a relationship that was still recovering from the mess caused by the Ashes.
Both McCullum and managing director Rob Key – not to mention stand-in captain Joe Root – failed to take multiple chances before the Oval Test to give Stokes their long-term backing. Instead, the ECB had decided to focus on Stokes’s mental health – to the bemusement of both Stokes and Durham.
Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes will have to present a plausibly united front if England are to avoid a first home defeat in a series of at least three Tests since 2012
Stokes spent last week starring for his county side Durham, making 95 with the bat, but was left bemused by the ECB’s reaction to his suspension for the match at the Oval
England were thrashed by New Zealand in his absence, with the Black Caps levelling the series at 1-1
Stokes has long nursed a grievance about the ‘suits’ who administer the game, and England must now be hoping that grievance hasn’t extended to the tracksuits. Because the captain and coach will have to present a plausibly united front if England are to avoid a first home defeat in a series of at least three Tests since 2012.
As McCullum said on Sunday, the only way to stop the speculation is to start winning.
Who will be under most pressure if England lose?
Daily Mail Sport’s revelation that Stokes believed the midnight curfew no longer applied after a home Test had finished has shone an unflattering light on the communication skills of the management.
Without a win in Nottingham this week to paper over the cracks, that could spell bad news for Key, in particular.
He was already under pressure after admitting England had not been given adequate preparation for the Ashes. And for all the ECB’s obvious backing of McCullum since the start of the New Zealand series, he would almost certainly lose a head-to-head vote with Stokes if fans were asked who should stay.
Sitting on top of the power structure are ECB chairman Richard Thompson and chief executive Richard Gould, who have said nothing publicly on the latest farrago, but with whom the buck stops.
Without a win in Nottingham this week to paper over the cracks, that could spell bad news for managing director Rob Key (left) in particular
How much blame does Stokes deserve?
It sums up the chaos that Stokes and the ECB reached different conclusions about the nature of a curfew he helped draw up with Key and McCullum. And those who feel he and Gus Atkinson missed the Oval Test for no good reason can point to the verdict of the independent Cricket Regulator, who ruled today that there was ‘insufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach occurred’.
But the question of why Stokes thought it a good idea to be out late on a Sunday night after everything that went on in Australia is a separate one.
Regardless of the curfew’s finer points, he showed poor judgment – kickstarting a disciplinary process that led to England fielding a weakened team at The Oval. He may feel hard done by, but he is not entirely blameless.
How much does a returning Stokes strengthen the team?
Despite taking 95 off Northamptonshire on Saturday, his Test batting form is at an all-time low. Yet his absence at The Oval was a reminder of the balance he allows the selectors. Without him, England couldn’t pick a frontline spinner, and were left with a hopelessly long tail. With him, they can field a more varied attack, and bat deeper.
It’s also inconceivable that Stokes would have allowed Jofra Archer to graze at mid-on while New Zealand’s lower order were adding a vital 100 runs on the second morning. Of the many examples of Root’s questionable tactics, that was the most grievous.
Above all, perhaps, Stokes adds an aura that, despite the Ashes letdown, remains unmatched by any other cricketer in England.
Stokes can have a positive impact when it comes to the captaincy – it is inconceivable that he would have overlooked Jofra Archer (right) at a critical juncture as Joe Root (left) did on day two at the Oval
Bowler Sonny Baker, a debutant last week, has been left out of the 15-man squad for Trent Bridge
Do any of the newcomers survive?
James Rew and Sonny Baker have already been left out of the 15-man squad for Trent Bridge, while Matthew Fisher and Jordan Cox are likely to follow.
Of the five players with two caps between them before The Oval, only opener Emilio Gay is set to keep his place.
Assuming Atkinson comes straight back in, England must decide which frontline seamer to omit out of Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer or the fit-again Ollie Robinson.
To complicate matters, Archer has been selected in England’s T20 squad for the series against India, which starts 48 hours after the scheduled fifth day in Nottingham.
Have England stopped caring about the World Test Championship?
Their crippling 12-point deduction for a slow over-rate at The Oval reduced England’s already slim chances of reaching the next WTC final in 2027 to near zero. But their continued tardiness does little to silence those who believe they are uninterested in the competition.
England have now been docked 14 over-rate points, leaving them with 38 overall and a percentage score of 26, which places them seventh out of nine. Only one other team in the current two-year cycle have lost points: Pakistan, with eight.
Stokes is not a fan of the competition’s asymmetric structure, and he believes it unfairly penalises the seam-heavy nations. He has a point. But falling 12 overs short at The Oval was pathetic, and England have paid the price.
