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01:00Brendan, hi. How serious a breach is this for you by Ben Stokes, breaking this curfew, and is it serious
01:08enough for him to lose the captaincy?
02:10Well, it's not overlooking the fact that they've not lived up to the standards which we've set for ourselves. You
02:16can't walk past that per se, but at the same time, and we'll deal with that in time and through
02:22a process.
02:23But for me, it's very much about how do we support these guys through the next stage, and in particular
02:28Ben. And that's very much where my mind is at, is I worry for him.
02:35Can you see a way back for him, though, as captain, or has the trust now been eroded too badly?
02:41Look, I think we need to go through the process.
02:46I look at the time that the last four years I've worked intimately with Ben, and I've seen Ben be
02:56an unbelievable captain.
02:57I think I've seen him at his absolute best as a captain, his best as a player, and he's helped
03:02shape this environment over the last four years, and he's had some incredible success doing it.
03:07And I feel very lucky that during that time we've worked so closely together, and what will be will be
03:15down the line. Those decisions are not for now.
03:20The concern at the moment is making sure that Ben is fine, and we need to look after him, rally
03:26around him, and in time we'll get on to those sorts of decisions.
03:31But for me, I'm just making sure that I'm checking in with him, and that's where things sit at the
03:37moment.
03:38And on the wider issue, there's six players now involved in alcohol-related incidents in the last few months. Do
03:44you accept now that there is an issue that needs addressing?
03:48Yeah, look, I think Keith's already spoken about this issue as well, and it's unbelievably frustrating because you're trying to
03:58build an environment where guys,
04:00they take the right options. I guess fundamentally, I'm in charge of the environment. I take responsibility for things which
04:10don't work out.
04:11What you can't do is you can't make every single decision for people as well. My job is to try
04:17and shape this environment.
04:19It's to try and shape these young men who are dealing with the high pressure and high scrutiny of playing
04:23international cricket on the largest stage and being away from home 12 months of the year and the challenges that
04:29come with that.
04:30I do believe there is a place to never want to kill the joy, so to speak. I think it's
04:37vitally important that you celebrate your successes.
04:40I look back on being involved in the sport and living this life now for the best part of 20
04:46years, and some of my most enjoyable moments have been sitting around after going to war with your teammates and
04:54sitting around in the dressing room and looking them in the eye and realising that you've left it all out
04:59there and you enjoy those celebrations.
05:01I don't believe in excess. I don't believe in excess. I think excess is a dangerous situation. You need to
05:06always uphold the standards and make sure we try to live by those, but you aren't always going to get
05:11it right.
05:11Guys are not always going to get it right, and we need to just keep trying to educate and learn
05:17and teach these guys and try and always understand that every action has a large reaction that follows.
05:29Every negative action has a large reaction which follows, and I'd like us to start understanding that well before we
05:37make decisions which put the very environment in jeopardy.
05:40Rob Keir suggested a possible alcohol ban. Would that be going too far then in your eyes?
05:48Look, I think I saw Alistair Cook share with me this week Alistair Cook's article, and I thought it was
05:56nicely summed up.
05:57There's a player who's been at the top of his game. He's achieved wonderful things, played for a long period
06:02of time, and he mentioned that some of his greatest moments that he looks back on fondly during his playing
06:08days
06:09are sitting around in the dressing room with his teammates celebrating what they've achieved, and that looks different for every
06:16person, right?
06:17But that is fundamentally the moment that you do look back on as a player, and I agree with Cookie
06:23on it.
06:25I think there's no blanket rule for everyone in that regard.
06:30I think we need to just keep working through it and trying to work out what the best thing is
06:34so that these incidents don't happen.
06:38Brendan, just what you've said about there's a process to play out and your worry for Ben.
06:44Therefore, do we take it that it's just simply too soon to decide whether or not he can be England
06:48captain again?
06:51I think for us, our concern is with Ben.
06:55Our concern is handling that situation and making sure that we look after him.
07:00He feels supported by us. He has constant communication with us.
07:06Those other things will work out down the line.
07:08That being said, then, what do you actually have to do to look after him?
07:13Well, you've just got to keep communicating, right?
07:15You're just checking in daily.
07:16Obviously, Stokes and I, we've spoken every day since this incident has unfolded,
07:23and there's been a range of emotions, which Ben's gone through as well.
07:27I'm not going to share those with you.
07:30That's out of respect for our relationship and the confidentiality of that as well.
07:39I care about Ben, and I just want to make sure that we are doing the right thing by him
07:44and ultimately doing the right thing by the team also.
07:48Given everything that you and him have been through together as a leadership combination
07:53and what you've achieved, what Ben's achieved as captain and what he's achieved as a player,
07:58if this is the end of his captaincy, that would be really sad, wouldn't it?
08:04Look, I think, again, my concern is for Ben.
08:08He's been an outstanding leader for four years.
08:11He's put his heart and his soul and his energy into trying to deal with everything that captaincy throws at
08:16you,
08:16particularly in this country.
08:17The scrutiny that comes with it has its perks, but it also has its challenges.
08:23And, you know, I think he's done a wonderful job of that.
08:29And for now, I just want to, inside of our group, just focus on Ben.
08:33So what about the disruption that you guys have experienced since the last test match?
08:38How are you coping that?
08:39And what's your team going to be for this week?
08:42Yeah, look, I won't lie.
08:44I was intrigued to see how the boys were when we turned up yesterday
08:47because after that test win, there was a lot of satisfaction about the shift that we had made,
08:54our execution that we were able to implement,
08:56the ability to adapt to a tricky surface and execute the plans that we wanted.
09:02And it would have been great if this week was about talking about Emilio Gay's brilliant debut
09:07or Ollie Robinson's return after two years out of the side and what he was able to achieve.
09:12And maybe even talking about some of the shifts that we've seen on the field
09:16and the ruthlessness of our plans.
09:21I was intrigued to see how the team was.
09:24And I was quite happy, to be honest, because there was a calm.
09:30There was a real, like the guys were obviously still talking about last week.
09:35They touched on what had happened after.
09:38But then they, as a group, they started already communicating around
09:42what we need to do this week
09:44and how we're going to be able to adapt to these conditions,
09:47which will be very different from last,
09:48and to make us a more rounded side
09:51and keep progressing along the route of where we want to get to.
09:54So I think Joe spoke brilliantly as well.
09:57We know how calm a personality he is
10:00and his relationship with Harry is going to give us a nice layer of leadership there as well.
10:07And we're grateful for those guys stepping up in this situation as well.
10:11In terms of the team, there's a few changes.
10:17So we've got Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethel, Joe Root, Harry Brooke,
10:26Jamie Smith at this stage pending the birth of his child.
10:31If he isn't available, then James Roo will come in and keep wicket.
10:35If he is available, he'll take his place at six, keep wicket.
10:39Jordan Cox will bat seven.
10:42Joffre Archer returns, he'll bat eight.
10:44And then we've got Josh Tung, Matt Fisher, who makes a return after a long time.
10:51And another exciting debut on alongside Jordan Cox and that Sonny Baker,
10:55who I'm super excited to see how he goes.
10:59And in a funny way, I sometimes think it's like whilst there's been a bit of chaos
11:05and it's been difficult to navigate through this week, I look at that side
11:09and I think two years ago when Stuart Broad and James Anderson had moved on,
11:16we knew that we wanted to build a battery of fast bowlers
11:19and we knew that we were going to have to build a battery of fast bowlers.
11:22And I look at that line-up of fast bowlers we have this week
11:25and it's super exciting and it doesn't guarantee our success,
11:29but it's kind of the first real test of where we're at in terms of that plan
11:34and see if that plan can be executed.
11:36And I'm quietly confident that we're going to see some exciting cricket from them.
11:41Can you just talk a little bit about the two guys who are going to make their debut?
11:44So Jordan has gone ahead of James, who was in the squad last week,
11:48and also you've spoken before about what you like about Sonny.
11:52Yeah, I think Jordan Cox, obviously James Roo, he was our backup batter in the squad,
11:58but that was very much to cover the kind of top six role as a batter.
12:02We thought now with having to make some changes, Jordan Cox, he wasn't it.
12:07He obviously was over at the IPL.
12:10We wanted to see him come back and see what he could do before sort of thrust him into that
12:17role for the first time.
12:19He scored a double hundred, which is sort of a pretty compelling case as well,
12:23and we think that his power in his rounded game is quite a nice fit at number seven.
12:26So we still very much see James Roo as an exciting option for us,
12:31and he may even get the nod this week too.
12:35But Cox, he's a fine player.
12:37Barry's been on our radar for a long time across all formats,
12:39and I'm excited for him to get the opportunity because he's had a couple of false starts in the past.
12:44We wish him well.
12:45And Sonny Baker, I genuinely believe that if Sonny's able to get some early success,
12:51if he's able to get an early wicket in his spell or in his second spell,
12:56I think the crowd's going to get behind him.
12:57I think the country's going to get behind him because he plays games.
13:01He's a little bit like Mark Wood.
13:02He's got good airspeed.
13:03He swings the ball.
13:04He's got great skills, but he charges in.
13:06And he's got wild celebrations.
13:08And you can just see that cricket is what he wants to do.
13:11So I'm excited to see how he goes.
13:13And he is very well planned and very well prepared,
13:17which fits in with what we're trying to achieve now in this team with some of the shifts we've made.
13:24We wish him well, and may the cricketing God shine on him.
13:31Brendan, in the early days of you coming in, you spent a lot of time talking about making the test
13:36environment fun, enjoyable, relaxed,
13:39giving people freedom, etc.
13:42Looking at the card there, Gay, Bethel, Roo, potentially Cox, Fisher, Baker.
13:48That's a lot of inexperienced guys.
13:49After the events of the week, how do you persuade them that that environment still exists and that that England
13:55shirt isn't a heavy thing to wear?
13:59Yeah, that's what we're trying and endeavouring to do, right?
14:02And that's how do you allow them to get to the start line feeling calm, confident and ready to go.
14:07And I think we saw it with Emilio last week.
14:10We spoke to you guys about what the messaging to Emilio was, is you don't need to be anything different.
14:16The game that has got you here, if you have conviction in it and you can handle the external pressures
14:20that come with it
14:21and you can remain totally clear and able to go out there and just trust in what you've built, you
14:28will give yourself every chance.
14:29And I thought he did that brilliantly last week and showed that he has the required poise to operate at
14:36this level.
14:37And that's the same sort of messaging to these other guys as well.
14:40You are talented players, you have got the ability to perform at this level.
14:46We will need to help you to understand the extra pressures that come with it and to try and reduce
14:51some of that extra noise
14:52and give you the required tactical information to be able to allow you to hopefully enter the game and be
14:58the best version of yourselves.
15:00There is extra pressure that comes with playing for your country and particularly in England.
15:05And in particular this week?
15:08And that's why I was very happy with how the calmness that I saw in the dressing room yesterday
15:13and the calmness that Ruti is obviously with all his experience as well.
15:18He'll get around those guys alongside myself and some of the others and try and just ensure that there is
15:23that calmness
15:24so that when they cross the line they can be the best versions of themselves which will ultimately help our
15:29team.
15:31Just on Ben, you're worried about him.
15:35Are you encouraged that he's already back in the nets and he's considering playing on Friday for Durham?
15:47I'm worried about Ben, that's it.
15:49I'll leave it at that.
15:50I'm in constant communication with him which is great.
15:54I care for him immensely.
15:58Whatever he is working through at the moment,
16:04it will be because Ben thinks that that's right for dealing with what he's feeling at the moment.
16:09So my concern has been he's very entitled to make his own decisions around that stuff
16:14and I encourage him to keep doing stuff like that
16:17because if it gives him some joy and some satisfaction, then that's good.
16:22Do you actually know if he's going to play on Friday at this stage?
16:25Do you know?
16:25Not at this stage, I don't know.
16:27OK, thanks.
16:35Brendan, whose decision was it to make Joe captain this week
16:38and what are the qualities that kind of made him that choice?
16:44Collaborative process.
16:45We got together, we debated the merits of where we were going to go
16:49and I think it became pretty obvious that after talking to both Joe and Harry
16:57that Joe was the right person to do it.
17:00He's actually excited by it because whilst he gave it everything he could last time round,
17:06he feels he's in a much better place now to be able to do that job
17:09and in the environment that we're running,
17:11he feels that that suits what he's trying to achieve as well.
17:14He made mention to me that he feels Harry Brook's got arguably one of the best tactical brains
17:20that he's seen so he'll be leaning heavily on Harry when it comes to the tactics
17:27and trying to make sure that we're implementing what we've already set out to the side.
17:33Their friendship is very tight as well so they will bounce off each other
17:37and ultimately we felt Joe was the right man to do this job at this point in time.
17:44Harry, in his credit, he admitted that that was the case too.
17:47He said, I would have done the job but Joe was the right person to do it.
17:52He said, I'll give him everything I possibly can to help him
17:55and he knows that he's a good tactician but he knows he's not the finished product
17:59as a leader just yet and he also acknowledged that he's not lived up to those standards
18:05in the past also so he knows he's got some work to do there as well
18:10but fundamentally we're very happy with Joe in charge.
18:14With Harry being able to assist him.
18:19Brendan, you've obviously been through a couple of tough times with Stokes
18:23I think after India and after the Ashes.
18:27At this moment in time though, in terms of the relationship between you and him
18:30is it the most strained in your time as coach?
18:34No, it's not strained at all.
18:35I think our lines of communication are very open
18:38and we've always, four years together is a long time
18:43and a really sort of punchy kind of pressure cooker
18:50but we've always had the best intentions of English cricket
18:55at the core of what we're trying to achieve and the decisions we're trying to make.
19:00Right now, I have a lot of respect, a lot of care for Ben
19:06and I'm doing what I can to support him.
19:10Brendan, has what's happened made you rethink the wisdom of curfews
19:14or are they here to stay for the moment?
19:17I think different teams have different sort of standards that they want to impose
19:24and I think where we're at, a curfew is no bad thing.
19:29I think it puts quite a definitive element on it.
19:34Some will say, did everyone know about the curfew?
19:39I think we've all, I mean most of you guys have written about the curfew
19:42and I've spoken at length about it.
19:44We constantly refer to it in the dressing room
19:47and in my South Dunedin way, I reference it in a slightly more informal manner
19:54but it is referenced constantly.
19:56So I don't think it's any bad thing to have that curfew at this point in time.
20:02I think there is still an element to be able to enjoy yourself along the way
20:05and to make sure that we're still feeling the warmth of success
20:10but also understanding that we have some obligations and responsibilities to uphold
20:15and when things, breaches happen, I think it's important you don't walk past that
20:19because to me that can ruin a culture, that can ruin a side
20:23if you're not prepared to be strong enough in those circumstances.
20:30Sorry Brendan to ask one more about Ben.
20:33Obviously he doesn't sound very well at the moment.
20:36Is he available for selection for Nottingham
20:38or should we expect for Ben to be on the sidelines for a little bit at the moment?
20:43I think again I reiterate it was our concern and our worries for Ben
20:48and we'll deal with this on a day-by-day basis.
20:52Thank you thank you thank you thank you.
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