ICC Clears ECB Over Stokes Retirement Video
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided not to take any action on Ben Stokes’ retiring video. The dressing room video that caused controversy when the England and Wales Cricket Board revealed it during the ongoing Test match against New Zealand last month has been closed by the world governing body’s anti-corruption investigation.
The world governing body reportedly took notice of Stokes’ goodbye speech to the England dressing room during the fourth day of play of last month’s last Test match against New Zealand, in which he declared his retirement.
The video was first posted on social media in England and then aired on television, but shooting inside dressing rooms without permission is prohibited by the ICC’s anti-corruption minimum criteria. The issue has finally been settled, despite the ICC’s letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Why did the ICC object to the video from the dressing room?
The ICC’s anti-corruption regulation governs the Players and Match Officials Area, which includes dressing rooms. National federations must ensure “there are no fixed or temporary video cameras or other recording equipment set up within any dressing room used by the teams for the purposes of broadcasting video or audio footage”.
The designated anti-corruption manager must be consulted in advance of any exclusions. These rules were broken by the ECB’s choice to record and broadcast during a play. Any such exclusions to video footage should, according to an extra rule, include no audio and last no more than two minutes.
In what way did Stokes justify the announcement’s timing?
Stokes stated that the public statement was planned ahead of time despite the breach. “I just said, ‘You guys work with Michael Lumb and Neil Fairbrother, who work with me, and you guys just come up with a plan,'” the all-rounder remarked at the end of the fourth day, explaining that the public announcement was made during play as part of a plan between his agents and the ECB.
Stokes took a wicket with the very next ball after it was revealed while he was bowling. The news was made during the fourth day’s afternoon session, and Stokes dismissed New Zealand batsman Zak Foulkes on his subsequent ball.
A week-long dispute that arose when the ICC first contacted the ECB on the breach has been resolved. Stokes responded on social media on Thursday, writing on X, “Sack him…” in response to an initial news about the ICC investigating the video. The issue has been resolved between the board and the governing body, and no more action is anticipated.
