I want to see Ben Stokes in one more Ashes showdown. That’s why he should quit the captaincy

Not solely because of the London nightclub fracas that made global headlines overnight, but because it is clear that, after four years as England’s charismatic leader, he needs to think about his longevity in the game.

The last thing that England, or cricket in general, wants to see is Stokes retiring from international cricket in circumstances where he looks and sounds fed up with the morass of responsibilities that come with leadership.

Stokes, England, and Australia for that matter would all prefer to see him at his best in one more Ashes series, influencing games with the bat, the ball and in the field, and enjoying himself while doing so.

A fraying attitude was made clear by Stokes’ decision to defy the midnight curfew imposed by the ECB after an Ashes tour beset by poor performances on the field and misbehaviour off it.

Stokes and England seam bowler Gus Atkinson were out in a Chelsea nightclub beyond the team’s curfew after the Lord’s Test against New Zealand, and were involved in an altercation with a Saracens rugby player.

It is alleged that the rugby player threw a punch at Atkinson that ended up striking an ECB security officer, who was accompanying the cricketers. The episode is being independently investigated by the ECB cricket regulator.

Stokes’ decision to kick-on after so much hand-wringing about player behaviour, and pointed words from England coach Brendon McCullum and team director Rob Key in the months since the 4-1 defeat in Australia, showed poor judgment. Perhaps also a degree of frustration about being unable to let his hair down as captain.

But this episode goes deeper than late-night drinking and carousing. Either side of England’s victory over New Zealand to open their home Test summer, Stokes hardly sounded like someone relishing the prospect of captaining the team for another two years to get to another Ashes bout with Australia next June.

On match eve, Stokes volunteered the fact he would turn 35 during the game, and spoke of the physical and mental load of being both an all-rounder and the captain.

“Over a long period of time, you bowl a lot of overs, you’re standing in the field, you’re thinking about captaining and batting is mentally tiring as well. You then come off the field, and you’re getting that off and then getting this on. Over time, it can get a bit tiring. You sort of just go, ‘Right, how can I give myself the best chance of being the best version of myself, as long as I can?’”

Captaincy has a corrosive effect over time. Many a leader has admitted this in hindsight, whether they are players to whom t