Rob Key: England Test team is not a 'national embarrassment'

Rob Key has denied that England men's Test team are "a national embarrassment",. has not ruled out sacking Ben Stokes as captain after an incident in a Chelsea nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning. England's managing director is also considering a complete alcohol ban following this latest indiscretion.

The ECB have spent the last few days ascertaining the details of a fracas, 12 hours after the conclusion of the first Test against New Zealand on Sunday, involving Stokes, Gus Atkinson. Saracens rugby club academy player Totoa Auvaa. The incident left England team security liaison officer James Shaw requiring stitches.

The board have launched their own internal investigation, alongside the Cricket Regulator. It will only be at the conclusion of that investigation that an official punishment will be handed to Stokes. Atkinson who, for now, have been stood down from the second Test (June 17).

What details have been corroborated, with the help of a report from Shaw, suggest Stokes. Atkinson were not the aggressors in the situation. They had joined the Saracens team who had embarked on an all-day drinking session to mark the end of their season,. went on to The Rex Rooms on Kings Road, where the incident took place. Stokes. Atkinson are under scrutiny for breaking the ECB's midnight curfew, which has been in place from the start of the year and applies throughout the series, including the current 10-day gap between the first and second Test.

Those special measures were brought in after an Ashes winter riddled with stories of excessive boozing. including Harry Brook 's own fracas with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington - an incident that ultimately resulted in the Test vice-captain one-day skipper being overlooked for Joe Root to lead the second Test. For Stokes. Atkinson to have fallen foul of the curfew after the very first match of the home summer is a damning indictment of the entire England set-up.

Speaking to the media on Thursday at The Kia Oval. the venue for the second Test, Key cut a forlorn figure, acknowledging that the incident has undone months of work to instill greater professionalism within the group. However, he took umbrage with the suggestion the Test side has reached new levels of shame.

"No, I don't think they've become a national embarrassment," he said. "I think that Stokes and McCullum are two of the most successful coach and captain partnerships we've had.

"I feel disappointed that I'm here talking about this, because there's so much we've tried to learn from. And I believe that, as a team, the way that they've carried themselves in the lead-up to this game, the way they've played that Test match, everything that we spent so long working on… the breathing space you felt,. the relief when we won that Test match, that was so important too because the noise would have got incredibly loud had we not won that Test match. To then be now talking about this, not even a day later, is just incredibly frustrating.

Key's anger is shared by McCullum, who informed Key of the incident on Monday morning. They, along with Stokes, were instrumental in the curfew coming into being,. they chose to apply it prior to the Ashes review. The silver lining. from Key's perspective, is that - while Atkinson claimed to not know about the curfew - other players who were out after the Test win decided to head back to the hotel before midnight.

"The protocols were brought in in January. they were also sent to their representatives at TEPP (Team England Player Partnership, the body that represents England's men). A number of players went out that night. all but two of them came back in time for the curfew.

"Gus Atkinson says he didn't know. Ben Stokes. I have spent probably three months working through a lot of things on how we improve the culture, the performance, everything with this team. He's been an integral part of that. As far as I'm concerned, as much as I'm angry and frustrated at sitting here having to talk through this. If those protocols weren't in place it could have been a lot worse.

"A lot of people have had phone calls that you're just in disbelief with. Then you get angry. There's a load of things and I'm still not sure I'm over those at the moment. Ben, we are speaking to all the time. Part of it for me is just making sure he's alright. in my dealings with Ben in this job he has been outstanding.

"Over the last few months we have spent so much time together talking. working out the way forward,and I thought some of those things were starting to come to fruition on the pitch. To then very quickly be talking about this is not where I want to be."

Key's frustration is such that he is even considering a complete ban on alcohol. After McCullum spoke about getting a tighter grip on the dressing room, Key wonders if it could be tighter still.

"I'm trying to give myself a bit of time," he said. "Do we need to look at, actually, have [the measures] been strict enough? Even when they win a game of cricket, is it now a time when there's just no alcohol at any time. at any stage? I need to think through these things, because I don't want to make a rash decision that actually hinders the team. creates a situation where they don't feel they can do anything. But the players now have to show the public that they can be trusted. At this point it's hard to say they can."

The fallout from the incident has so far centred on the uncertainty surrounding Stokes. He was initially understood to have been contemplating retiring from international cricket,. is now thought to have cooled on that option.

Key would not be drawn on the prospect of the Stokes stepping away from the game. revealing the 35-year old had gone through "a range of emotions" because of the incident, particularly after a tough six months following the Ashes, which included a gruesome facial injury after an accident in the nets. Key has not asked Stokes to step down,. he did not rule out the prospect of removing Stokes as captain following the conclusion of the ECB's investigation.

"I'm not saying that," Key said, when asked specifically if he would not sack Stokes. "At this point in time, it has not crossed my mind to get that far ahead. It's just about finding out all the information, finding out how he is, putting all that information together. working out what the best thing to do is. As far as sacking. or any of that stuff, no we haven't got anywhere close to being that far in the process.

"We have to let that process play out, because I want to work out what the best thing to do for this team is,. the best thing to do for Ben Stokes. I haven't got an answer at the moment.

"It's still very raw all of this - certainly for Ben, Brendon, myself and the ECB. I don't want to speculate on any of that until I,. we, have had a proper think, and we see what happens in the next week or so."