Ben Stokes Backs England Side Amid Criticism
After multiple drinking-related incidents revealed in the latter months of his captaincy, former England captain Ben Stokes has underlined that his team did not have a “drinking problem.”
During the third Test against New Zealand in June, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket.
During the latter several months of his tenure, the team’s alleged “drinking culture” has come under scrutiny. The mid-series excursion to Noosa, when opener Ben Duckett was caught on camera inebriated, overshadowed the 4-1 Ashes series defeat in Australia.
Following the first Test against the Black Caps at Lord’s, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson got into a fight in a bar, preventing them from playing in the second.
Speaking on the event and the team’s larger issues, Ben Stokes stated that, despite advances in sports science and nutrition, cricket as a whole continues to have a complicated relationship with alcohol.
“No. That is such an extraordinary thing to do with a team. But I believe cricket has a drinking culture that has not evolved. We are now in 2026, and the game has become increasingly professional throughout the years.
However, one aspect of cricket that has remained consistent is its association with alcohol; it begins with club cricket and progresses upward. It remains there and is ingrained in the sport.
That is the relationship between alcohol and cricket; it has not changed as the game has become more professional,” Ben Stokes stated on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast.
There is more science and medical, nutrition knowledge, and so forth. The relationship with alcohol is something that has remained stable for a long time. For those who believe the English cricket team has a drinking culture, I would disagree. “I’d just say that cricket has an alcohol-related culture,” he said.44
The all-rounder also revealed that he has personal experiences with alcohol. He was detained after becoming involved in a fight in Bristol while intoxicated following an ODI against the West Indies.
While arguing that the association between alcohol and cricket has remained unchanged despite developments in the game, he also mentioned well-known players who have had trouble with alcohol.
“I believe it could be a problem. Looking back over the years, many cricketers have had negative connections with alcohol. I’m not sure what you do to modify it.
It’s just one of those things that I’ve had–I don’t want to call them problems, but I’ve had potentially harmful interactions with alcohol throughout my career. But that seems utterly different to me now.
There has been a relationship with alcohol that has existed since the 1980s, and it has remained unchanged as the game has improved. “That is my opinion on cricket and alcohol,” he stated.
