It wasn't exactly a street brawl, but there certainly was an invitation for one as Ben Stokes went after a spectator shortly after he was dismissed in the first innings of the fourth Test at the Wanderers. The alleged middle-aged spectator, sporting spectacles, swore at Stokes and mentioned he looked like singer Ed Sheeran.
Stokes did not take kindly to the remark and invited him for a face-off outside the ground: "Come say that to me outside the ground, you f***ing four-eyed c***."
Stokes' words were sopped up by the Supersport cameramen who did not air it live but later showed it multiple times on television. Ben Stokes, on his part, has apologized for the "unprofessional behaviour" - "I wish to apologise for my language that was heard on the live broadcast today after my dismissal. I should not have reacted in that way. As I was leaving the playing area, I was subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd."
Ben Stokes offering somebody out. Things you love to see. National hero.
— Andy Widdowson (@andygwiddowson) January 24, 2020
Will still get a ban though. pic.twitter.com/M0pn2CzyQK
But should it end there? Use of obscenity that can be heard either through stump mic or otherwise in an International match comes under a Level One offence and carries one demerit point.
But more than mere obscenity, Stokes' words seemed like a threat to assault for which he has already had trouble with the lawmakers. For mere comparison, Jos Buttler and Kagiso Rabada were both charged earlier this series under a Level One offence.
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While Rabada merely shouted at the stumps - a bizarre reason to hand him a level one offence - after dismissing Joe Root, Buttler used the F word multiple times at Vernon Philander when keeping. Both of these came under a level one offence. While Rabada's sanction is questionable on its own, Buttler's offence is the very definition of obscenity in the field of play. Stokes' come under neither.
Stokes' words should ideally be viewed in the context of what was happening. He wasn't expressing emotions at an opposition player on this occasion, rather this was aimed at a loose remark from the spectator.
His exact words point more towards threatened assault rather than mere obscenity. This constitutes a level three offence with five to six demerit points. The match referee takes many factors into consideration before arriving at a decision and everything from what the comments could be aimed at to Stokes' state of mind will be discussed.
But nothing takes away the fact that he was prepared to take the spectator on "outside the ground". That constitutes in simple and plain words, a threat to assault and deserves to be dealt with as such. It can also be termed as coming under 'conduct that brings the game into disrepute' which constitutes anything from a level one to level four offence.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / David Gray
