ICC closes anti-corruption enquiry into Ben Stokes retirement video with no action against ECB

Ben Stokes (Photo Source: Philip Brown/Getty Images)

No action will be taken by the International Cricket Council over Ben Stokes‘ retirement video. The world governing body has closed its anti-corruption enquiry into the dressing room footage that sparked controversy when the England and Wales Cricket Board released it during the ongoing Test match against New Zealand last month.

Stokes’ farewell address to the England dressing room, in which he announced his retirement during the fourth day’s play of last month’s final Test against New Zealand, is understood to have attracted the attention of the world governing body. The video was released on England’s social media channels and later broadcast on TV, but, under the ICC’s anti-corruption minimum standards, there are restrictions on filming inside dressing rooms without prior approval. The ICC wrote to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), but the matter has now been resolved.

Why did the ICC object to the dressing room footage?

Dressing rooms fall within a protected zone called the Players and Match Officials Area, governed by the ICC’s anti-corruption code. 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”.

Any exceptions must be agreed ahead of time with the nominated anti-corruption manager. The ECB’s decision to film and broadcast during play breached these standards. An additional guideline suggests any such exceptions of video footage should feature no audio and be for a maximum of two minutes.

How did Stokes explain the timing of the announcement?

Despite the breach, Stokes clarified that the public announcement was orchestrated with prior planning. Speaking at the close of the fourth day, Stokes explained why the public announcement was made during play, detailing it was a plan between his agents and the ECB.

“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’,” said the all-rounder.

It was made public while Stokes was bowling, and he took a wicket with the very next ball. The announcement fell during the afternoon session of the fourth day, with Stokes immediately dismissing New Zealand batter Zak Foulkes on his next delivery.

The resolution closes a week-long controversy that erupted when the ICC initially contacted the ECB over the breach. Reacting on social media to a report on the initial story about the ICC looking into the video, Stokes on Thursday wrote on X: “Sack him …” No further action is expected, and the matter is now settled between the governing body and the board.

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