ECB considers alcohol ban following Stokes nightclub incident
The Guardian Sport • 2 min read • Latest: Jun 11, 2026, 1:00 PM
Last updated Jun 11, 2026

The England and Wales Cricket Board is contemplating a complete alcohol ban for players on international duty. This decision follows the nightclub incident involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, who were dropped from the second Test against New Zealand. Rob Key, managing director of men’s cricket, acknowledged the challenges of trusting players to behave responsibly after the players broke a midnight curfew. Key stated that they appeared to be in the wrong place at the wrong time but faced consequences nonetheless. A formal policy change may be forthcoming as the ECB evaluates their response to this situation.
- •Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson dropped for second Test against New Zealand
- •ECB shocked by nightclub incident leading to disciplinary review
- •Rob Key confirms trust issues with players following recent behaviors
- •Full alcohol ban under consideration for players on national duty
- •No suggestion that dropped players engaged in aggression during incident
- 1:00 PMThe Guardian Sport — England’s cricketers could face alcohol ban with Stokes captaincy still in doubt
"Rob Key says ECB need time to consider future ECB chiefs were in ‘shock’ after nightclub incident The England and Wales Cricket Board is considering imposing a complete ban on alcohol while players are on international duty as they ponder the best response to the incident at a Chelsea nightclub that led to Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being dropped for next week’s second Test against New Zealand, and to the stream of embarrassing stories over the past eight months. Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, admitted on Thursday that it is now hard to say the players can show they are to be trusted to behave responsibly. The two players broke a midnight curfew and were then allegedly involved in a fight that broke out in the early hours of Monday morning, though there is no suggestion that either were active participants. “Everything we’ve looked at so far, everything we’ve found out, it looks like they were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Key said. “They weren’t aggressive or anything, and actually it looks like they were on the receiving end of some pretty poor behaviour from other people.” Continue reading...
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