Former England all-rounder Ben Stokes addressed the controversy surrounding his decision to announce international retirement midway through the recently held Trent Bridge Test match against New Zealand.
Stokes' reaction came after multiple reports claimed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has sought a formal explanation from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), alleging that the mid-Test broadcasting of former captain’s dressing room retirement speech breached strict Players' and Match Officials' Areas (PMOA) anti-corruption protocols.
Taking to X, Stokes took a savage two-word dig at the governing bodies after the reports of ICC accusing the ECB of breaching the anti-corruption rules emerged. “Sack him,” he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
The ECB released the retirement announcement video of Stokes on its official social media channels when the cricketer was in the middle of a bowling spell against New Zealand in Nottingham.
In a letter sent to the ECB, the ICC stated the board has violated the provision by recording and broadcasting the footage and audio of Stokes' address before the conclusion of the Test match.
The ICC's disciplinary letter focuses on Article 2.2.11 of the PMOA minimum standards. This rule explicitly dictates national cricket federations should: "Ensure that there are no fixed or temporary video cameras or other recording equipment set up within any dressing room used by the teams for the purposes of broadcasting video or audio footage."
No formal action or punishment is expected against Ben Stokes himself, as the ICC investigation is strictly targeted at the ECV for a protocol blunder rather than individual misconduct.
After news of his retirement spread on Day 4 of the Trent Bridge Test, Stokes took a wicket with his very next ball, and later cracked 30 runs off 20 balls opening the batting for England in their run chase. His international career official ended the following day, with England suffering a 160-run defeat to concede the home Test series 1-2 to New Zealand.
