Ben Stokes takes a dig at the ECB [Source: AFP and X]Ben Stokes has seemingly taken another cheeky swipe at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following Durham's promotion back to Division One of the County Championship. The former England Test captain shared an Instagram story shortly after Durham sealed their promotion, joking about the celebration that will follow. The timing of the post though, immediately drew attention, given Stokes' recent controversy over a late-night outing during England's Test series against New Zealand. Rather than letting the Durham promotion pass quietly, Ben Stokes appeared to use humour to reference the scrutiny he faced after the nightclub episode.Ben Stokes shares cryptic Instagram story to take a cheeky dig at ECBDurham secured their return to County Championship Division One with a 93-run victory over Middlesex, and Stokes did not take long to acknowledge the achievement in his own way.The England captain shared a photograph of himself sitting in a car, accompanied by a deliberately sarcastic message, "Probs will go to a pub."Mikey 〽️ @miikey11_ Fairs hahaha Sep 11, 2026, 8:38 PM He then added another line that made the apparent reference even clearer, "Save yourself the effort of sending smart replies to my previous story", followed by three laughing emojis. This story was put up following an image of Durham’s promotion in Division One.How Stokes made the sarcastic dig?The post comes against the backdrop of the controversy that surrounded Stokes' night out during England's Test series against New Zealand. That episode resulted in Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being left out of England's squad for the second Test and subsequently receiving written conduct warnings.Also Read- Watch- Yuzvendra Chahal Leaves Ben Stokes DumbfoundedWith Durham now back in Division One, Stokes' decision to specifically mention going to a pub appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek response to the attention surrounding his previous night out. The message was not accompanied by any direct criticism of the ECB, but its timing and wording made the reference difficult to miss.Ben Stokes' history of nightclub controversies with ECBBen Stokes' post carries extra weight because his relationship with off-field scrutiny has once again come under the spotlight in 2026.After England defeated New Zealand at Lord's in June, members of the England camp socialised with Saracens rugby players. Stokes and Atkinson later went to a nightclub in Chelsea at around 1am, despite the team's newly imposed midnight curfew.Because of the curfew breach, both players were omitted from the squad for the following Test and received written conduct warnings for breaching contractual protocols.In 2012, shortly after making his international debut, he received a police caution for obstructing police during a late-night outing in Newcastle. A year later, Stokes and Matt Coles were sent home from the England Lions tour of Australia after repeatedly breaching warnings over late-night drinking. The biggest episode came in 2017, when Stokes was involved in a street altercation outside a nightclub in Bristol. He was charged with affray and subsequently missed the 2017–18 Ashes tour after being removed from England's vice-captaincy. Ben Stokes' Durham performance justifies extravagant BBL signingAway from the social-media drama, Stokes has given himself another reason to celebrate with a strong individual campaign for Durham.The all-rounder has scored 369 runs in eight innings in the 2026 County Championship Division Two campaign at an impressive average of 52.71, striking at 79.70. His best score was 95, while he also produced scores of 66 and 53 during the season.His bowling has been equally valuable. Stokes has picked up 19 wickets in 10 innings, maintaining an economy rate of 2.99 and a bowling strike rate of 43.00. That form comes at an interesting time for Stokes, with the Adelaide Strikers having already secured his services for the entire 2026-27 Big Bash League season. For the unaware, Ben Stokes' reported deal is worth around $500,000, which would put him above the previous $420,000 platinum-level benchmark.The BBL's return to a direct-signing model has created room for such headline deals, and Stokes' performances for Durham only add to his value as one of the competition's biggest overseas attractions.Also Read- 'Virat Kohli Lives In London,' Maharashtra Deputy CM's Special Message For Indian Star
