The Worried Well

CP explains how England won a Test and lost an empire

Turning his back on English cricket?

To sum up where we are now, we’re passing judgement about the effect on the mental health of a man we do not know, of an event where we do not know what happened.

At some point between 6pm last Monday evening, when England released a statement that Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson had been involved in a nightclub incident, and 1pm the following Tuesday, something happened. From what we know, or are at least are told, Stokes wasn’t involved in the fracas that followed a Saracens player taking a swing at Atkinson - “wrong place, wrong time” said Rob Key last week - and as such, Stokes’ only ‘crime’ was breaking his own allocated bedtime.

And yet somehow, by the next afternoon, one of England’s greatest ever cricketers was on the brink of retirement. How?

For one, shame is a powerful motivator. The average fan over here might not want to see Stokes retire as a result of being out too late. But, after six months of conversations about being on your and the team’s best behaviour; of rebuilding the team in a new image; of Instagram posts about how “I fucking love cricket, I fucking love this team, I fucking love being England captain”. Despite all the Ashes mess, personally coming out of it stronger, with England’s hopes still placed upon your shoulders. To go from all that to having to admit at the end of week one, to your bosses, friends and colleagues that your actions failed to back up your words, would be cripplingly embarrassing.

“Words are very easy to say,” Stokes said ahead of the first Test. “I guess we’re at the point where it doesn’t really matter what we say.” He was right.