New Delhi:The International Cricket Council (ICC) has contacted the England Cricket Board (ECB) over the retirement video of Ben Stokes that was shared by the national board during the third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham. The ICC has alleged the ECB of publishing the footage at a time that it contravenes the protocols of the players' and match officials' areas (PMOA), BBC Sport reported.
Stokes’ announcement came on the fourth day of the Nottingham Test when he informed his team-mates in the dressing room that he had made his decision. It was shot and released, giving Stokes some PMOA breach questions. The ICC wrote a letter to the England Board over the breach and making the footage of the retirement public.
What does the PMOA protocol state?The PMOA under Article 2.2.11 states that the cricket boards should “Ensure that fixed or temporary video cameras or any other recording equipment are not set up in any dressing room used by the teams for the purpose of broadcasting video or audio footage.”
The report said the ICC had told the ECB that no footage from the PMOA should have featured audio or been released before the Test match had finished. But, the video was shared just before tea on Day four of the clash at 7:55 PM IST. The video was circulated and Stokes soon had Zak Foulkes out.
He later came out to bat on Day 5 of the match and opened the innings along with Ben Duckett. England captain scored 30 off 20 balls, hitting two sixes and two fours.
What did Stokes say in the video?Stokes told his teammates on the fourth day of the match that he was retiring. “There is something I know is going to happen over the next two days, which is going to be (that) this is my last two days as your captain, and my last two days as representing England,” Stokes said in his speech. "Why, reasons can wait (as to) But I’ve done many trips to the well before for this team for you blokes for people before and I’ve got one more trip to do. All I ask is, please, can everybody else do the same thing?
“We have a lot of hard work still to do and the only thing I want is to be able to walk off the end of that field whatever the result, knowing that I’ve had this group of men – and one lady (fielding coach Sarah Taylor) – give everything for the last two days.
“The only thing I want is just to give it for everyone, not only for me, selfishly, but for this team and everything else that we’ve got going forward for you blokes.” All the arse-taps, all the emotion, all that kind of stuff. Can't it just wait till the end of this match please? Because there’s still a shitload more work to do, and I’ve got a shitload more work I want to do.
"Let's just go out there and f***ing give it everything for two more days, okay? That's my only intention, and that's where all my energy is right now. Now that I have the emotional side out of it it is time to work. And whomever else, just come on with me."
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