England’s banishment of Kevin Pietersen makes Ben Stokes’ position untenable

THE man who permanently banished Kevin Pietersen from international cricket risks being judged a hypocrite if he lets Ben Stokes tour Australia for the Ashes.

Ben Stokes with Kevin Pietersen in 2013.

THE man who permanently banished Kevin Pietersen from international cricket risks being judged a hypocrite if he lets Ben Stokes play for England again, let alone tour Australia for the Ashes.

Former England captain Andrew Strauss is the ECB’s respected director of cricket, but his reputation will live or die by the action he takes on Stokes after graphic video footage captured a man alleged to be all-rounder assaulting a man outside a Bristol nightclub.

Strauss was widely praised for the strength of character he showed in calling out Pietersen for the toxic impact he was having on the England dressing room and slamming the door shut in the superstar batsman’s face, marking his cards never to play again.

Ben Stokes with Kevin Pietersen in 2013.

However, it is difficult to draw such a decisive line in the sand on Pietersen, who was at the end of the day nothing more than a disruptive force, and then not come down like a ton of bricks on Stokes for his alleged part in a sickening act of violence that could have ended far more tragically for the 27-year-old man on the receiving end who was sent to hospital with facial injuries.

So far Strauss’ response to the explosive crisis has been soft.

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The fact that the man allegedly floored by Stokes’ right fist started the fight brandishing a bottle suggests there is another side to this story, but even if the all-rounder’s involvement in the brawl started out as self-defence — it quickly descends into a shocking act of thuggery.

Even when his victim has his hands up begging for a ceasefire, the man alleged to be Stokes is still raining down hay makers.

Strauss came into the ECB job vowing to change team culture, but what will it say about those disciplinary standards if Stokes is permitted to tour Australia for the Ashes?

The moment Stokes floored a 27-year-old man in Bristol. Picture via The Sun

“They’ve got a big headache,” said former Australian captain, Ian Chappell.

“Add to that he’s their most valuable player for the series coming up.

“I would have thought it’s the last thing Andrew Strauss needed right at the moment.”

Strauss has already been left embarrassed by events on Wednesday after he named Stokes in his Ashes squad and reconfirmed his status as vice-captain — only for the damning fight footage to be published later that night on The Sun website.

His justification for letting due process take its course falls down when the video evidence is so damning.

“We’ve seen this footage for the first time tonight — when posted by The Sun,” said an ECB spokesperson.

The man lies motionless after the attack. Picture via The Sun

“There is an ongoing police investigation which will look at all available evidence, and we do have to respect that process.”

Bristol police may now have the evidence they need to lay charges of causing actual bodily harm which could force Stokes to front court during the Ashes series and potentially face prison time.

But regardless of whether the authorities act, there is now enormous pressure on Strauss to hand down quick and firm judgment and protect the image of cricket and the ECB.

Pietersen tweeted that England might as well cancel their flights to Australia based on the Stokes’ footage and said:

“I actually really feel sorry for Root, Cook, Anderson & Broad!”

The position Stokes has put his teammates and bosses in makes his Ashes future virtually untenable.