Ben Stokes says alcohol culture exists across cricket, not just England
Ben Stokes argues that cricket's relationship with alcohol extends beyond England and has not kept pace with the game's professional standards.
Ben Stokes pushed back on the idea that England cricket has a special drinking problem. Alcohol sits in the game at every level, he said on the For The Love of Cricket podcast, weeks after retiring from internationals. Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler joined him.
Stokes pointed to the split between cricket's push on nutrition and medical care and its unchanged habits around drink. The culture runs from club grounds to Test teams, and it hasn't moved with the rest of preparation. The comments came after he and Gus Atkinson were stood down for a Test over a curfew breach.
The ECB tightened its alcohol rules for England players after that. Stokes now plays only domestic and franchise cricket.
CricHubb Take
The ECB tightened rules for its own players, but county clubs and franchise sides still set their own codes — so the gap Stokes describes may simply move down the ladder rather than close.