Chris Rogers thinks England could be torn apart if Stokes doesn't fly to Australia

Ben Stokes was involved in a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol. The brawl was caught on camera and that turned into a huge controversy. The controversy has cost him his place in the team as he has been suspended without a term. He was seen hitting a man in the video. Many legends and former players have backed Stokes while others have also questioned his behaviour.

Recently Graeme Swann said that Ben Stokes is a good man and he was defending himself which is justifiable. Even England’s former coach David Saker said that Stokes is a good person though he stayed clear of the controversy. However, another player has had his say on the matter. Chris Rogers, the former Australian opening batter thinks that this could tear the English team apart.

He had a lot to say on this as he experienced a similar kind of situation with Warner. In 2013 the Aussie left-hander also punched a guy and was expelled from the squad. This led to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat for the Australians.

Roger’s advice

He said that Stokes is one of the hinges in the England team. He holds the team together and can give the Australians a fight down under. He also mentioned that the coaches play a huge part in this. Darren Lehman did the job for Australia after the sacking of Mickey Arthur when he cleared the air. Rogers wants someone to step in and end the matter once and for all.

“Credit to Darren Lehmann, that’s what he did. One of the first bits of business he did was call Warner on it and say, ‘This is your last chance, you’ve got to start doing the right things.’ It almost galvanized us a bit – it could have that effect on England during The Ashes,” he said.

“It could have the opposite effect as well – it could cause a bit of friction, but it’ll come down to the characters ­involved and the leaders, they’re the most important people,” Rogers further added.

Stokes is the best England cricketer at the moment alongside skipper Joe Root and his absence will be a huge letdown. The confidence of the team will be dented and hence he is a must in the squad.

On Stokes expulsion

The former Australian opener said, “The contest is worse for it, if he’s not allowed to play, that’s for sure because he’s such a big figure in England’s side. Stokes is the enforcer, the guy who is going to stand up to the Australian way. It’s going to leave a big hole that somehow England are going to have to fill.

“It will be interesting to see which characters step up to fill the void. But at the moment I don’t see how you can fill that hole. Of course, we want to win, but I was here in England when they won the 2005 Ashes, in one of the greatest series of all time, and the lift it gave cricket for a number of years was special.Test cricket needs that. We need The Ashes to be a ­contest to reinvigorate it,” Rogers said.

He further opined that the Ashes over the years have been onesided and all Test cricket needs is close games and a good tussle.

“There’s been a lot of Ashes played over the last few years and it hasn’t always been that close. So, if we can have a close series, that would only be good for Test cricket and, naturally, Stokes would be a big part of that. So, like I said, if he’s ­missing, it lessens the­ ­contest in many respects,” the Aussie concluded.