England all-rounder Ben Stokes may have been cleared off affray charges after a trial at Bristol Crown Court, but former England cricketers have a divided opinion on his future.
Stokes is also facing a cricket discipline case which was put on hold because of the trial. Given that the 27-year-old has been unanimously free of all accusations by a jury on Tuesday (August 14), the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) will now start their proceedings.
In his column for The Times, former England captain Mike Atherton wrote: "With a not-guilty verdict, the way forward seems, to me, to be clear enough and should not involve further punishment."
Atherton, who represented England in 115 Tests, conceded Stokes's heavy drinking that night and what ensued afterwards "is not exactly acceptable behaviour for an England player during international duty".
"There are clauses in an England cricketer's contract -- such as bringing the game into disrepute -- that could yet result in punishment. Although Stokes was never formally suspended from the England team, his non-selection for the Ashes came about clearly as a result of the events in Bristol. He missed the most high-profile series in which an England cricketer can play, essentially a six-month ban," he further remarked.
On the other hand, Nasser Hussain, who captained England in 45 of his 96 Tests, argued differently saying the images caught on CCTV cannot just be ignored and the ECB will have to take some action.
"Some people would argue that Ben Stokes has had it tough, and has served his time in missing the Ashes, but I see it differently. The ECB should not now take the easy option. It is far too serious an issue, and the footage far too serious, for people to think about moving on and brushing things under the carpet," Hussain told The Daily Mail.
In his column for The Guardian, former England spinner Vic Marks wrote: “Stokes brought the game into disrepute on a feral night out which does nothing to promote the image of the game the ECB wants to display to families.”
Marks also drew parallels between Stokes and the legendary England all-rounder, Ian Botham.
"The very best cricketers often ooze invincibility; they are never out and never wrong. They feel invulnerable, capable of dominating any situation. I have witnessed this at close quarters when playing alongside Ian Botham," he added.
Marks advised Stokes to take lessons from Ricky Ponting’s career and move forward.
"Ponting had his moments of madness in bars as a young Australian cricketer and was dropped in 1999 after an incident in Sydney which left him unconscious in the early hours of the morning," Marks wrote.
"He was not required to go to court but he acknowledged a problem with alcohol and his off-field behaviour, and with appropriate help he resolved it before going on to have the most brilliant of careers," he concluded.
