Ben Stokes arrest has put a huge black cloud over England’s Ashes preparations… the video looks awful

Key man: England will be a much weaker side if Ben Stokes is unable to play
AFP/Getty Images
James Taylor28 September 2017

As a professional sportsman, you should know what you need to do to prepare for a game. That does not include staying out until 2.35am on a Monday, when the next match is on a Wednesday.

There is no way you will be at your best for the training session on the Tuesday, and it is unlikely you would be in top form for a one-day international the following day, either. Of course, celebrate a victory but there is always a balance to be struck. Midnight — fine. But as soon as you get much later than that, you know it will damage your performance.

Whatever happens, the alleged incident involving Ben Stokes has put a huge black cloud over England’s Ashes preparations. I have seen the video that allegedly shows Stokes throwing punches in a street fight and it looks awful.

When a team go to Australia, they need the preparation to be as clean and clinical as possible; they need to get absolutely everything right. Now, it will be very difficult for England to focus solely on cricket. There is always so much scrutiny when you tour Australia but there will be even more in the light of what allegedly happened.

As a management team, you assume that senior players know what is acceptable and what is not. You might expect a coach to say: “Lads, don’t be stupid. Have a drink but we’ve got a game in two days’ time” — but these players are grown men and they should be able to make decisions about what is right and what is wrong.

Growing up in England’s junior sides, there were curfews. I recall playing for the Under-19s that we would have to be back in the hotel by midnight. But senior players do not need that sort of direction — or, at least, they shouldn’t need it.

What will happen in Australia? I am sure that greater discipline will be imposed but I would advise the less experienced squad members to follow the example of the captain Joe Root and his three senior players — Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.

Each of those players has more than 100 Test caps, they know exactly how to succeed and what is required to ensure they perform at their best. They understand how to behave on and off the field and, along with Root, they will be England’s leaders in Australia.

Root is sure to be disappointed that Stokes was out so late before a game, particularly as he has had Stokes as his vice-captain and they are extremely close friends. If — for whatever reason — Stokes does not make the plane to Australia, it is a further worry for Root, as England are a much weaker side without Stokes.

Former team-mates: James Taylor and Ben Stokes
Getty Images

I look at that Ashes squad and I do not see a lot of experience. I like Mark Stoneman as Alastair Cook’s opening partner but he has played only three Tests against West Indies. Gary Ballance had a good start to his Test career, but his best year was 2014 and he hasn’t scored heavily for England for some time now. Dawid Malan played a couple of decent knocks against West Indies but, again, he is new to this level, with only five Tests behind him.

The selection that initially surprised me the most was that of James Vince. He looks great on the eye and is a good batsman in the county game, but he struggled at Test level in 2016, when his top score against Sri Lanka and Pakistan was 42. Test cricket is all about showing discipline and Vince failed to do this, when he kept nicking to the keeper and slips. I have thought about this, though, and while I still have my doubts, I can see the logic behind picking him.

Vince likes pace on the ball, which means the Australian pitches might suit him more than the surfaces in England. He is a decent back-foot player who likes to hit the ball at the top of the bounce and the Kookaburra ball swings and seams far less than the Dukes. Against Pakistan, he really struggled with lateral movement but that should not be so much of a problem in Australia.

All these factors probably swayed the selectors in the end.

It is a shame that Mark Wood is not in the party, because he is one of the few England bowlers with out-and-out pace but if his fitness cannot be guaranteed, it will always be a risk to select him. I have said before in this column that I am a big fan of Jake Ball, who I know well from Nottinghamshire, and I am pleased to see him part of the squad.

It won’t be easy for England, especially with the Stokes situation. But I was part of an England team given little chance of winning in South Africa in 2015-16 and we took the series 2-1. Hopefully that can inspire these players in Australia.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in