Ben Stokes breaks silence on nightclub controversy, admits mistake and apologizes to fellow players

Ben Stokes Night Club Incident: England captain Ben Stokes has spoken openly for the first time on the nightclub controversy, due to which he had to sit out of the second Test match against New Zealand. Stokes admitted that the impact of his mistake was not limited to him only, but had an impact on the entire team and many players. He said that his first priority after returning to the team was to apologize to his teammates.

Had to face action due to curfew violation

After the Lord’s Test, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were dropped from the second Test for violating team rules. In the absence of Stokes, Joe Root took over the responsibility of captaincy, but England lost by 253 runs in the match played at The Oval. With this result, New Zealand achieved parity in the series and the match reached 1-1.

Debut players were also affected

Speaking to the media ahead of the decisive Test at Trent Bridge, Stokes admitted that the incident affected the atmosphere of the team. He said that being the captain, he should have accepted his responsibility. According to Stokes, this controversy also affected Joe Root, the team management and the players who were playing the first Test match of their career.

He said that the occasion should have been completely memorable for the debuting players, but the attention got diverted due to the controversy. Stokes admitted that if he had not accepted this truth, it would have been a big mistake.

Also read: Rule made in England for Vaibhav Suryavanshi! Will play matches with Team India, but the dressing room will be completely different

Can’t run away from captain’s responsibility

The England captain said that leadership is not just about coming to the fore in times of victory. It is equally important to take responsibility in difficult situations. He said he personally spoke to those who were affected by the incident and apologized to them. Stokes believes that a captain must have the courage to accept his mistakes. He said the hallmark of true leadership is taking accountability when things go wrong.