“You won a Test and you can’t celebrate?” : Former England cricketer hits out at ECB amid nightclub spat, backs Ben Stokes

Former England international Graeme Swann has questioned the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to impose a midnight curfew on players, saying England captain Ben Stokes has fallen victim to a culture more focused on controlling players than allowing them to celebrate success.Stokes came under scrutiny after footage emerged of post-Test celebrations in a nightclub following England’s victory over New Zealand at Lord’s. Stokes and team-mate Gus Atkinson were involved in the incident, which also involved Saracens academy rugby player Toto Auvao.In an interview with news agency PTI, Swann said that he did not agree with the very idea of ​​curfew.“My thoughts are very mixed on this. The fact that there is a curfew is… I am an ex-player. You will never, ever convince me that curfew is a good thing. It is ridiculous that they have done it at all,” Swann told PTI.Swann said the ECB appeared to be more concerned with the optics than the reality of the dressing room environment.“I understand why they did it because they’re trying to make a good image for other people, for the PR side of it. It doesn’t work. I think they’ll take a lesson from this, the ECB, that we shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” he said.According to Swann, it would be better if the ECB discussed team culture with the players instead of blanket restrictions.“We should have come out and sat down and actually talked about what we were going to do as a culture and make sure we were moving forward.”“But just to introduce a midnight curfew after a Test match win, the day you are not allowed to celebrate a Test match win for your country is a black day,” he said.Swann said he had no problem with Stokes celebrating a Test win and believed the problem was in the rule itself.“I don’t think Ben Stokes did anything wrong here, apart from going against a rule that shouldn’t have been implemented in the first place.”He added that not enough facts about the nightclub incident are publicly known.“I don’t know the story of what happened. Nobody knows the story. So I’m not even going to comment.”Returning to the curfew issue, Swann said:“As I say, he was celebrating a Test match win. I have no problem with that at all. I have a huge problem with the team at midnight after a Test win.”The former off-spinner said professional cricketers should be trusted to act responsibly.“Before the test, fine. You shouldn’t drink before or during a game. As a professional athlete, you shouldn’t. But I don’t need to write that down.”Swann also compared the reaction to Stokes to how great sporting achievements are often celebrated.“I think England are playing in the World Cup right now. If they won the World Cup and went to a 10-day game, we’d be celebrating because a country like you wouldn’t believe it.”With Stokes dropped from the England squad for the second Test against New Zealand, questions have been raised about his future in the game. Swann said he hoped it would not spell the end of Stokes’ career.“I don’t know. I hope it’s not the end because he’s the best captain we’ve had, probably since Andrew Strauss. Alastair Cook won’t like it. Sorry Cooky.”The Northampton man drew parallels with previous incidents involving England players and suggested the public debate had become increasingly toxic.“This is what happened to Ben Duckett in the winter (during the Ashes in Australia). Who recorded it and sent it? This is supposed to be an England fan and they’re going to pretend. They’re going to say, ‘Oh, we’re doing it because we love our country.’ No, they do it to try to make money.’“In the culture we live in right now, we’re desperate to film someone who does this and bring them down, put them in the papers. I think it’s a sad time we live in. Really.”