Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson ‘blameless for violent conduct’ – ECB
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson breached “contractual obligations” but were found not guilty of “violent conduct” at a London nightclub, an inquest heard.
Skipper Stokes and pace bowler Atkinson were made unavailable for England’s second Test defeat against New Zealand due to an investigation into events that occurred when they came out to celebrate victory in the first Test two weeks ago.
They breached the team’s midnight curfew and were present when security personnel were shot by a Saracens rugby player.
A disciplinary hearing by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) found that Stokes and Atkinson “breached certain contractual obligations requiring England players to maintain the highest standards of conduct at all times and to act in the best interests of England cricket”.
Both men were given a written warning and no further action was taken leading to their exclusion from the second Test. They have been named in the squad for the deciding Test at Trent Bridge, which starts on Thursday and will see Stokes captained.
A separate investigation by the Regulator of Cricket found that Stokes and Atkinson had no further cases to answer.
A member of England’s security staff was left covered in blood and needed medical attention when he was hit by Saracens player Totoa Avuaa. In the ECB statement, it was stated that Avuaa attacked both Atkinson and the security guard.
“No charges should be brought against the players for the violent behavior in the nightclub,” the ECB said.
“Stokes was not involved in the fight and did not witness either incident.
“The evidence seen by the ECB shows that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion.”
