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There is currently a sharp conflict between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The reason for the controversy is a video related to the announcement of retirement of England’s Test captain and legendary all-rounder Ben Stokes. The ICC has expressed strong objection to this video posted by the ECB on social media during the third Test match being played against New Zealand in Nottingham. According to the report of ‘BBC Sport’, the ICC has directly contacted the England Cricket Board seeking clarification and has accused them of violating a very strict international rule related to the security and privacy of players.
Video of dressing room leaked during test match, ICC raised questions
This whole controversy started on the fourth day of the Nottingham Test when captain Ben Stokes called his fellow players and coaching staff inside the dressing room and informed them about his decision of retirement. This emotional moment was recorded on camera and made public even before the match ended. The ICC says that this entire incident is a blatant violation of the rules and protocols of the ‘Players and Match Officials’ Area’ i.e. PMOA. Regarding this, the international organization has sent a strong official letter to the England Board.
What is the PMOA protocol and the rule of Article 2.2.11?
As per ICC security and privacy rules, the activities of players in their dressing room during live matches must remain completely confidential. Article 2.2.11 of PMOA clearly states that it is mandatory for any cricket board to ensure that no fixed or temporary video camera or recording equipment is installed in the dressing rooms of the teams.
Under the rules, the ICC had already instructed the ECB that any footage recorded within the scope of the PMOA should not contain live audio and cannot be released or published under any circumstances before the Test match is completely over. Despite this, this video was posted on social media at 7:55 pm IST, just before tea time on the fourth day of the match. Immediately after this video came out, Stokes came on the field and also took the big wicket of Jack Foulkes.
Give everything in the last two days: Ben Stokes’ emotional speech
In this leaked video, Ben Stokes is seen very emotional while addressing his fellow players. Stokes told the team, “The next two days are going to be the last two days of my career for England and as a captain. The reasons behind this will be revealed later. But I have risked my life for this team many times before and am ready to do so again for the last time. I expect the same from all of you. We have to give our all, regardless of the result on the field.”
Stokes further said, “I want everyone to contribute for this team. All the emotions and congratulatory messages, please wait till the end of this match, because we still have a lot of work left to do on the field. All my energy right now is on winning the match. Now is the time to concentrate on work instead of getting emotional.” After this emotional announcement, on the fifth day of the match, Stokes also came out to bat with Ben Duckett as opener and he scored a quick inning of 30 runs in 20 balls with the help of 2 fours and 2 sixes. This high-profile controversy has now sparked a new debate over the presence of dressing room cameras in the sports world.