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'I would have backed my captain': Nasser Hussain sides with Ben Stokes but calls nightclub incident unacceptable originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Hussain says ECB should have shown more support for England captain Stokes despite the breach.
- Stokes and Atkinson dropped for second Oval Test amid ongoing ECB investigation.
- Reports suggest Stokes considered retirement before fears eased in recent days.
Nasser Hussain: I would have backed Ben Stokes more strongly through this
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has come out in defence of Ben Stokes following the fallout from a nightclub incident that led to the all-rounder being dropped from England's squad for the second Test against New Zealand.
Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were both left out of the squad for the second Test at The Oval, which got underway on June 17, with England already 1-0 up in the series. Joe Root has been handed the captaincy for this match in Stokes's absence.
Hussain admitted the situation presented a genuinely difficult balancing act for those at the top of English cricket, but said he personally would have liked to see stronger public backing for Stokes despite the circumstances.
"It's not easy because it's a difficult balance to strike, but I would have backed my captain a little bit more, if I'm perfectly honest," he said.
MORE: What really happened in Ben Stokes' nightclub incident: Timeline of ENG captain's controversy
Nasser Hussain puts up strong defence for Ben Stokes
Hussain pointed to everything Stokes has carried the side through in recent years, including a difficult Ashes series and a serious facial injury, and was careful to clarify that he was not excusing the breach of curfew, which he had earlier in the broadcast called unacceptable.
"Obviously, they were cross, they were frustrated, angered, but personally, I would have backed my captain," he said.
"In whatever role I was in - whether it be coach, director of cricket - that captain has been there for us for a very long time. He's been through some really difficult times, he's been through a difficult Ashes series, he's been through a facial injury."
MORE: McCullum opens up on Stokes' nightclub incident
Hussain further highlighted Stokes's track record of supporting teammates through their own difficult moments, on and off the field, suggesting that someone within the ECB hierarchy should have been willing to say that Stokes had got this wrong, that an investigation was underway, but that he remained their captain regardless.
"I'm not condoning anything he's done in any way. I said at the top of the show today, it was unacceptable, breaking your own curfew," he said.
"But that captain has shown a lot of emotional intelligence with a lot of people in that team who have, at times, messed up either off the field or on the field. Ben Stokes has been the first one to put his arm around people in that team.
"I just think with what Ben has done for this cricket team over time, I would have liked someone just to go, 'you know what, he's got it wrong, there's an investigation going on, but he is my captain'."
MORE: England's cricket drinking culture has long stopped being funny
What happens next for Ben Stokes?
Stokes continues to face the ECB's internal disciplinary process and remains unavailable for selection for the ongoing Test at The Oval.
Despite that, reports suggest he is now expected to carry on with his playing career, with speculation that he could even be back leading England by the time the Ashes series begins next winter.
For now, though, the captaincy sits with Root, and Stokes's immediate focus will be on cooperating with the investigation as it plays out.
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