- By Sunny Daud
- Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:02 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The controversy involving England Test captain Ben Stokes continues to dominate headlines. Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson reportedly broke the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) team curfew after England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand and visited a nightclub in Chelsea.
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According to reports, the pair were caught up in an incident during the early hours of Monday morning. A rugby player allegedly tried to punch Atkinson but missed and instead hit a security guard, who later needed stitches. Neither Stokes nor Atkinson was hurt.
The fallout from the incident has sparked fresh debate about Stokes’ future as England’s Test captain. There are even reports suggesting the star all-rounder could consider stepping away from international cricket.
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Former England captain Michael Vaughan, however, believes stripping Stokes of the captaincy would be the wrong decision. Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan admitted that Stokes had made a mistake by breaking the curfew but argued that the incident was not serious enough to cost him the leadership role.
“A short suspension would be acceptable, but I don’t think this is a big enough issue for him to lose the captaincy,” Vaughan wrote. “I know people will mention the Bristol incident, but that happened almost 10 years ago, and I can’t remember him being involved in any major trouble since then.”
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Vaughan also dismissed suggestions that Stokes may have lost the respect of his teammates because of the incident.
“I don’t believe this will affect his authority in the dressing room,” Vaughan said. “Did Harry Brook lose the respect of his teammates after the Wellington incident? No. In fact, England later praised the way he bounced back and led the side during the T20 World Cup.”
The former skipper also highlighted Stokes’ importance to the team, especially as a bowler and tactician.
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“England still need his bowling,” Vaughan wrote. “He’s one of the team’s best bowlers, and his captaincy at Lord’s once again showed how valuable he is when he’s at his best.”
While Vaughan acknowledged that a suspension remains possible, he warned England to think carefully before making any major decision.
“If England decide to suspend him, as they didn’t do with Brook, then it gives them a chance to see how the team functions without him,” he said. “Things didn’t go particularly well when Stokes missed the Oval Test against India because of injury last year. But that’s the risk you take when you make a mistake and face disciplinary action.”