‘Sack him’: Odd twist in Stokes retirement furore as England accused of anti-corruption breach

The ICC has reportedly accused the ECB of breaching the anti-corruption code after sharing dressing room footage of Ben Stokes’ retirement speech before the conclusion of England’s third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

Captain Stokes informed his teammates of his decision to retire from international cricket before day four of the series decider in Nottinghamshire, with the ECB filming his address.

Watch England vs India T20 & ODI Series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 >

The ECB publicly announced Stokes’ retirement shortly before the tea interval, sharing the dressing room footage mid-spell, with the 35-year-old taking a wicket on his first delivery after the announcement in dramatic scenes. England lost the match by 160 runs, with New Zealand sealing a 2-1 series triumph.

However, BBC reports that in a letter sent to the ECB on Saturday, the ICC alleged that publishing footage of Stokes’ retirement speech during play contravened the governing body’s standards for players’ and match officials’ areas (PMOA) at international matches.

Stokes cheekily responded to the incident on social media, posting: “Sack him.”

Article 2.2.11 of the PMOA minimum standards states that 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”.

Additionally, the ICC has previously informed the ECB that any footage shot in the PMOA must not carry audio or be released before the conclusion of a match, according to the report.

However, the ECB is not expected to be punished for the alleged breach.

Stokes finished his Test career with 7273 runs and 252, winning a World Cup title in 2019, a T20 World Cup title in 2022 and an Ashes series in 2015.

“There’s something I know is going to happen over the next two days, which is going to be (that) this is my last two days as your captain, and my last two days as representing England,” Stokes said in his speech to his teammates.

“Reasons can wait (as to) why. But I’ve had many trips to the well before for this team, for you blokes, for people beforehand and I’ve got one more trip to do. The only thing that I ask, please, is can everyone else please just do the same?

“We’ve got a lot of hard work still to do, and the only thing that I want is to be able to walk off the end of that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I’ve had this group of men – and one lady (fielding coach Sarah Taylor) – give everything for the last two days.

“The only thing I want is just for everyone to give it, not only for me, selfishly, but also for this team and everything else that we’ve got going forward for you blokes. All the taps on the arse, all the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can it just wait until the end of this game? Because we’ve still got a shitload more work to do, and I’ve got a shitload more work to do that I want to do.

“Let’s just go out there and f***ing give absolutely everything for another two days, alright? Because that’s my only intention and that’s where all my energy is right now. Got the emotional side out of it, but now it’s time to work. And everyone else, please just come with me.”

Click here to read article