Crossing a line: All-rounder Ben Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson will not play in the second Test against New Zealand after being involved in an incident in a London nightclub in the early hours. | Photo Credit: AFP

The fallout after the debacle in Australia last year continues as Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson are left out of the England team for the second Test against New Zealand. Not only that, but in Stokes’ absence, the captaincy goes back to Joe Root, and not the designated vice-captain, Harry Brook. Brook had been reprimanded and fined for a misdemeanour in New Zealand on the eve of their one-day international there, when he was the captain.

Under Brendon McCullum, the English batters have played a brand of cricket that is brash and aggressive, and when it comes off, it looks spectacularly brilliant. That, however, has also spawned a belief in the batters that they can play any shot, as long as it is an attacking shot, never mind the circumstances and the situation of the match. They may be pulled up in the privacy of the change room, but will not be penalised by losing their place in the team. This artificial feeling of invincibility that ‘come what may, we won’t be dropped’ is what has made this team the darlings of the modern-day spectator, with a low threshold of patience and a craving for some fun and adventure in their lives.

The British media, who are thrilled when it comes off, get viciously upset, especially when their hopes of an Ashes win over their traditional rivals Australia blow up in their faces, thanks to some incredibly stupid shot-making from the batters. Since that loss, the guns have been trained on Brendon McCullum, who barely escaped the axe because England did well in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup immediately after that disastrous Ashes series.

When the team reassembled for the new season, they decided to observe a curfew of midnight for the players. Now, whether this was at all times or only when they were playing is not known, but when the incident involving Stokes and Atkinson happened well past midnight, the daggers for Stokes and McCullum that were barely sheathed came out in full force.

Now there are articles speculating whether Stokes, who turned 36 recently, will retire or step down from the captaincy. The second Test does not start for a few days, and so some news other than about the boring county cricket needs to be out there, and this incident has fallen nicely into their laps. This also takes away the need to write about the substandard pitch at Lord’s and ignore the demerit point and the unsatisfactory rating given by ICC, and focus on something more spicy.

Stokes and Atkinson have both lost out financially by not being picked for the second Test match and perhaps the third Test too, pending the investigation into the incident. They could be fined too, just like Brook was fined by the England & Wales Cricket Board for the incident in New Zealand.

Speaking of fines, it would be interesting to know where the fines go. Into which account and what is done with it. Does it reflect in the balance sheet, and if it does, under which category does it appear? In the IPL, too, there are fines imposed on players, but where do the fines go? To the captains and players, it makes no difference as the fines are taken care of by the franchise, so it’s neither a penalty nor a deterrence. Even if the accumulation of demerit points leads to a one-match ban, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

For any penalty to be effective, it has to have an impact on the match. Like the penalty of one less fielder outside the 30-metre circle in case the team has not bowled its next over within 60 seconds thrice. That can have an impact on the game, especially in the final overs of the innings.

The BCCI’s ban for two years on those who enter the auction and, after being picked, then withdraw at the last moment, not for injury but brownie points with their local media, is another good move. They should also ban those who come to the IPL and, when they find they aren’t being picked regularly, feign an injury and return home and then play in their domestic cricket even while the IPL is still going on.

Plenty of overseas players take the IPL for granted and sometimes, in connivance with their Boards, make some excuse and not play in the full tournament as they agreed before they entered the auction.

The franchise cannot go running around for a replacement at this late hour, and so has no option but to wait for the Board to release the player. Remember, the Boards get 10% of the player fee, not from the player. This is an additional cost to the franchise, and that is why it is important for BCCI to be firm and ensure this does not happen. Cutting the player’s fee according to the number of matches he is missing should also apply to the percentage that the overseas Boards get for their player.

The cricketing world has been ruled by the old powers without giving anything to the other Boards. Here, BCCI is giving to the Boards too, and so should be telling them not to take the helplessness of the franchise as a weakness and to cancel the contracts of those who don’t want to play the full tournament. No compromises. This is the IPL, not just the best T20 tournament in the world, but also the making of millionaires out of some really ordinary overseas players.

Published on Jun 17, 2026