If it was me, I'd have my contract ripped up, says Glenn Maxwell on Ben Stokes

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell believes Cricket Australia would have torn up his contract and banished him from the national team had he been involved in a Ben Stokes-like off-field incident. A video footage captured in late September showed the English all-rounder entangled in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub.

The full details of what happened are yet to be determined, as is the all-rounder’s availability for the Ashes starting on November 23 — although he won’t travel with the team when they fly out of England this weekend.

Maxwell is unsure about Stokes role in the upcoming Ashes, but suggested Cricket Australia’s stance would have been firmer than the English Cricket Board’s response to the incident, which is now in the hands of local police.

“I know if it was me I would probably have my contract ripped up and they would say thanks for your services. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes with England cricket at the moment and there is obviously a police report. But I do know it’s something Australian players try to avoid — especially since the Davey (Warner and Joe Root) incident a few years ago — and everyone has been on high alert about behaviour off the field.”

“One of the strengths of Australian cricket at the moment is that we are well behaved and don’t really create a whole lot of headlines off the field. That’s probably a credit to the players.”

Maxwell’s first reaction

While Maxwell himself is not far from controversy himself, Stokes’ incident was too much for him too. Though several media reports suggest that Stokes was defending a gay person who was being troubled, no confirmation so far means the matter is, perhaps, more complicated than it looks.

“I thought ‘oh dear that’s not good’ (when I saw the incident),” he said.

“What can you say really? It was an extraordinary incident. It will be interesting to see if he does come out because obviously that has been a lot of the talk to see whether he does come out,” said Maxwell, as reported by Fox Sports.

England without Stokes will be interesting to watch

Though Australia are yet to announce their squad, Maxwell is a part of the selection woes that revolve around the No. 6 all-rounder spot. He is among several other of his counterparts to be running a race for that position ahead of the Brisbane Test. He, however, mentioned that England’s decision to compensate for Stokes’ absence will be an interesting one.

Stokes gave the Aussies a glimpse of his ability during the Champions Trophy tournament, where he racked up an unbeaten 102 which sent Steve Smith and Co. packing without winning a game. Though the 26-year-old’s Test record does not do justice to his value in the English team, they are heavily reliant on him for runs, wickets and catches.

“It will be interesting to see how England replace him because obviously he is a world class player. We saw how good he was during that Champions Trophy. He got that amazing hundred and made guys like Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins look medium pace which is an extraordinary effort. He’s a superstar.”