“He screwed up, but…” – Michael Vaughan defends Ben Stokes amid ECB investigation

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has shared his views on the recent controversy involving veteran all-rounder Ben Stokes. The cricketer turned commentator said that Stokes made a mistake by breaching the team’s curfew but argued that the incident should not cost him the England Test captaincy.

Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke team protocols while celebrating England’s first Test win over New Zealand. The pair were present during a late-night incident, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) started an investigation. Following the controversy, Joe Root is set to captain England in the second Test.

I Don’t Think It’ll Have Been Easy for Rob Key – Michael Vaughan on Ben Stokes Investigation

There have been speculations about Stokes’ future as Test captain. While Michael Vaughan agreed that disciplinary action was necessary, he also pointed to the impact Stokes has had on England’s Test team since taking over the captaincy in 2022.

“I don’t think it’ll have been easy for Rob Key, in particular, to deal with this because he’s been working with Ben Stokes for three or four months on this protocol, making sure that the culture is a little bit better for what they see needs to happen,” Vaughan said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

“I do think that they had to suspend him. I do think that they needed to suspend the captain. Well, once you break your protocol, that’s it. If you don’t suspend him for at least one game.”

He Didn’t Categorically Say Yes – Michael Vaughan on Rob Key’s Comments

Michael Vaughan noted that England director of cricket Rob Key stopped short of fully backing Stokes as Test captain. Vaughan suggested that Key could have publicly supported Stokes while still allowing the ongoing investigation to run its course.

“If you look at Rob Key’s quotes during the week, a lot of it was about the investigation and the process. He was asked four times in the press conference, ‘Will Ben Stokes be the England captain?’ and he didn’t categorically say yes. If you’re in Rob’s shoes and you desperately want Ben Stokes back, he could’ve said, ‘Yes, as long as the investigation is thorough and nothing else comes out.'”

Investigations by both the ECB and the Cricket Regulator are ongoing. However, the ECB has rejected claims that Stokes was asked to step down and said he has been given time to consider his situation.

Ben Stokes Has Done So Much for English Cricket – Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan believes Stokes deserves the chance to continue in the role. Vaughan admitted that Stokes made a serious mistake by breaching team protocols but argued that his overall contribution to English cricket should not be overlooked during the ongoing investigation.

“I think Ben Stokes has done so much for English cricket that I thought this week, look, he screwed up. He knows that. He screwed up, and it’s a terrible look for the team when the captain breaks the protocol.”

“But I don’t know, there’s something in me that gets the feeling that I just wonder whether the ECB have kind of gone, ‘Okay, is it time to move Ben Stokes out of the way?’ I hope not, because I think if there’s someone who’s earned the right to come back as the captain of this team, it’s Ben Stokes.”

The 35-year-old took charge of England’s Test side in 2022 and has led the team to 24 wins in 43 Tests. However, England have faced setbacks in recent months, including a 1-4 Ashes defeat in Australia.

In the recent Lord’s Test against New Zealand, he scored just 12 runs across two innings and returned bowling figures of 1/34 in seven overs. Over the past 12 months, the left-hander has averaged 26.31 with the bat in 19 Test innings.