Stokes: Cricket Has Drinking Culture That Hasn't Changed
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- Ben Stokes told the For the Love of Cricket podcast that cricket retains a drinking culture from the 1980s that has not shifted despite the sport's growing professionalism, though he rejected the label of "drinking problem" for the England team specifically.
- Stokes, 35, confirmed his England retirement is permanent — "Definitely" — having stepped away in June during the third Test against New Zealand after missing the second Test following a nightclub incident involving him and bowler Gus Atkinson.
- The ECB introduced a midnight curfew after the Ashes tour and updated its policy to advise England players to avoid alcohol on the day before and day after matches, prompted by the Stokes-Atkinson incident.
- Stokes backed Harry Brook to succeed him as Test captain and said he was surprised when Joe Root, not Brook, was handed the role permanently — questioning what message it sent to a player already named vice-captain.
- Root will lead England in Tests alongside new coach Stephen Fleming, the former New Zealand captain who replaced Brendon McCullum, who was fired following poor results and off-field incidents but retains the white-ball role.
- Stokes said he and McCullum "never once fell out" despite acknowledged differences of opinion, while expressing concern about Root repeating his 2017–2022 captaincy toll — a spell that included 27 Test wins in 65 matches before he stepped down in April 2022.
- Stokes is completing his Level 3 coaching badge while still playing, saying he would "absolutely" love to coach England one day after his playing career ends.
Why it matters: Stokes' framing distinguishes cricket's longstanding alcohol culture from a problem with the current England squad — a distinction that matters because the ECB has already tightened its drinking policy with curfews and match-day restrictions, and the team enters a new Root-Fleming era without a Test series win since late 2024.
