Nasser Hussain slams Rob Key, Brendon McCullum over Ben Stokes row

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been in turmoil after Ben Stokes’ nightclub controversy. Stokes, alongside Gus Atkinson, was dropped from the team after their physical altercation with a former rugby player and also breaching the team curfew. However, former captains like Nasser Hussain, Mark Butcher, and Michael Vaughan backed Ben Stokes and believed that he should not be dropped from captaincy.

England Cricket has hit a new low, and more talking has been done after their loss against New Zealand about whether managing director Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum should stay in their respective roles after this Test series. Nasser Hussain has now come up questioning the coaching staff after they did not back Ben Stokes, while writing on The Athletic.

They should have backed their captain- Nasser Hussain questions Brendon McCullum’s integrity

Nasser Hussain in his column on The Athletic stated, “The biggest mistakes were made before the match. Yes, Stokes’ late night out, in the context of what went on before, was unacceptable. But when Key and McCullum went straight into the media, they should have backed their captain rather than distancing themselves from him and, in McCullum’s case, just talking about his mental well-being.”

“They should have said: “As long as nothing else comes out about what went on in Chelsea during the investigation, Stokes is still our captain. He is effectively banned for one game which will hurt him, but he’s done a lot of good for this team and led them bloody well for four years. He’s been there for us and others. We need to be there for him now.”

Ben Stokes and ECB are not on the same line

However, instead of backing Ben Stokes, Key and McCullum went straight to the media, saying they were not sure whether Stokes would remain captain, which again shows that the captain and coach are not on the same page. The two members of the coaching staff gave an honest confession in the media about the incident.

“The comments of Key and McCullum must have come because they believed Stokes was thinking of quitting, but a few days later there he was playing and giving his all for Durham in the County Championship.”

Nasser Hussain further stated that, “He did not look like a man who was about to give it all away, as he appeared to be earlier in the week. You always know as an England captain when it’s time to go. It hits you between the eyes.”

He knew he was appointing a man with flaws- Nasser Hussain slams Rob Key

The former England captain further added that Rob Key knew Ben Stokes had many flaws, yet the management decided to hand him the captaincy in the traditional format. Ben Stokes is back in the side and will be captaining in the third and final Test match against the Kiwis at Trent Bridge.

He said, “When Key made Stokes England captain he knew he was appointing a man with flaws. What happened in Chelsea was always a risk. But with him comes a considerable good side that outweighs the bad, as we have seen so many times.”

“England have rapped Stokes on the knuckles. He is on his last warning. But the powers that be should want him to remain England captain and go out and show the world what a true leader and world-class all-round cricketer he still is.”