Ben Stokes takes cheeky jibe at ICC over dressing room retirement video

LONDON: Former England star and Test captain Ben Stokes has taken a cheeky swipe at the International Cricket Council (ICC) after it reportedly questioned the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over a dressing room video announcing his retirement.

Stokes retired from Test cricket following England's final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. Before the start of Day Four, he informed his teammates of his decision during an emotional speech in the dressing room.

The ECB later shared footage of the moment on social media while the match was still in progress.

According to reports, the ICC has contacted the ECB seeking an explanation, alleging that the board may have breached its Players' and Match Officials' Areas (PMOA) minimum standards by recording and publishing footage from inside the dressing room during an international match.

Reacting to the reports, Stokes posted a brief but sarcastic message on social media, writing: "Sack Him." 

English media reported on Wednesday that the ICC had written to the ECB after the footage of Stokes informing his teammates of his retirement was made public during the fourth day of the third and final Test against New Zealand.

Under Article 2.2.11 of the PMOA minimum standards, national cricket boards must ensure that "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."

The ICC reportedly sent its letter to the ECB on Saturday, stating that the recording and publication of both the video and audio from Stokes' dressing room address appeared to contravene the regulation.

Speaking to broadcasters at the end of the penultimate day of the deciding Test, Stokes explained that releasing the announcement during the match had been part of a coordinated plan between his management team 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'," Stokes said.