Monday 2 October 2017 09:07, UK
The uncertainty surrounding the arrest of Ben Stokes could help "galvanise" England ahead of the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, according to director of cricket Andrew Strauss.
Stokes was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning following an incident in Bristol, after England's 124-run win in the third ODI against the Windies on Sunday.
The Durham all-rounder was released under investigation without charge, although an X-ray later revealed that Stokes had suffered a fractured finger in the incident.
Despite the injury and the ongoing police investigation surrounding his arrest, Stokes was included in England's 16-man squad for the Ashes.
Strauss hopes the incident will not derail England's plans for the five-match Test series against Australia, which gets underway at The Gabba in Brisbane on November 23.
"In my experience with the England team, we've experienced similar things in the past and you can go one of two ways," said Strauss.
"It can actually bring people together or it can allow people to splinter off into other groups. What I'm very encouraged about is how tight that team environment is at the moment.
"I'm exceptionally hopeful that they can use this to galvanise things and bring them closer together to focus their minds on what they need to achieve in Australia - to ensure they give themselves the best possible chance of performing out there."
England head coach Trevor Bayliss labelled his players as "very unprofessional" for celebrating heavily midway through a series, although he remains reluctant to enforce a curfew on his squad.
When asked if their actions were acceptable, Bayliss said: "Definitely not, no. We will be looking into that. I've been with teams before and we've had curfews and that doesn't work either.
"Whichever way you go about it, a lot of the responsibility comes back onto the players. They are adults and they have to take responsibility.
"They are professionals. The other night a few guys being out was very unprofessional in the middle of a series."
Strauss echoed Bayliss' comments and insists the players must take responsibility for their actions as role models for cricket.
"It's my view, and I think that is a view shared by Trevor Bayliss, that the right way to operate a team environment is by treating people like adults and by giving players personal responsibility, both on and off the pitch," said Strauss.
"That's how we get the best results on the pitch and it is how we ensure we have a harmonious environment off the pitch that helps performances as well.
"When things like this happen there is always a moment to step back and think did we do everything right? That's what we will be thinking about in the coming days.
"Instinctively I still think that philosophy is the right way to go but it is important that players understand and recognise their responsibility as international cricketers and what potential damage can be done to the England team and the sport if we are not seen to be good role models for the game."
