Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has put his weight behind Ben Stokes to retain his Test captaincy but raised concerns regarding the veteran’s behavior. Stokes came under the scrutiny, when he alongside Gus Atkinson, broke the team’s curfew on Monday night.

After winning the opening Test match against New Zealand, Stokes and Atkinson went to a club and had an altercation, which involved a rugby player, Totoa Auvaa. Vaughan said it would be a hard punishment if Stokes is sacked as England’s captain.

“Yes, Ben Stokes broke a curfew. Yes, he made a mistake. But is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I do not think so,” he wrote in The Telegraph.

“Stokes has a lot of credit in the bank for all he has done for England as captain and all-rounder. There is no way that those making the big decisions at the England and Wales Cricket Board have the same credit in the bank.

“I do not see how you can tell Stokes he is not captain anymore just for going over the curfew by a couple of hours after a win. The ECB is hoping Stokes makes a decision on its behalf. But it has to be brave enough and strong enough to do what it thinks is right. If that is to sack him then fine, but I do not agree with that decision on this issue.

“A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy.”

Meanwhile, ECB has delayed the announcement of England’s squad for the second Test as it determines whether disciplinary action, including possible suspensions, will be taken against the duo of Stokes and Atkinson.

The second Test match between England and New Zealand will be played at Kennington Oval, London from June 17 onwards.