The Athletic has launched a Cricket WhatsApp Channel. Click here to join.Picture the scene. New England captain Harry Brook is sitting in the indoor school at the Oval, about to address the media ahead of the second Test following the resignation, or sacking, of Ben Stokes for becoming involved in an altercation in a nightclub.It would be fascinating to see whether Brook and ECB communications staff, who will have to earn their corn in the next week or so, are able to keep straight faces as the current vice-captain fields inevitable questions about the dangers of late-night drinking.How could it possibly come to this? The white-ball captain, who was fined and given a final warning for a late-night incident involving a nightclub bouncer in Wellington the night before leading his country against New Zealand, having to step into the breach because the Test captain broke the curfew brought in because of Brook’s antics in the first place.Truly, you could not make it up.It would be hilarious if it were not so embarrassing for English cricket after what we thought were the first steps towards recovery after the horrors of the Ashes were completely overshadowed by another incident involving Stokes.England captain Ben Stokes, with Harry Brook at his side, addresses the team huddle in Melbourne on Boxing Day (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)There is certainly a case to say what Brook did last winter the night before a game was worse than whatever Stokes and Gus Atkinson did in the aftermath of a desperately needed first Test victory at Lord’s against New Zealand and with 10 days before the next match — at least, that is, until full details emerge of what went on in a Chelsea nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning between Stokes, Atkinson, an ECB security guard and members of the Saracens rugby side enjoying their end of season party.This columnist said Brook should have been stripped of the white-ball captaincy when it finally emerged he had been disciplined by England, and that Brendon McCullum should be sacked as coach for his leading role in the cover-up of what went on in Wellington.It beggars belief that Brook should be promoted now, with Stokes looking certain to miss at least next week’s second Test while the independent Cricket Regulator investigates the full scale of the “breach of team protocols” by the captain and one of his bowlers.Yes, there were signs of Brook maturing as a captain during the T20 World Cup earlier this year and, yes, McCullum has insisted that the Wellington incident would be the making of him. But the optics of him taking charge now could not possibly be worse.That is not to excuse Stokes in all this. What was he thinking?Why on earth did he imagine it would be a good idea to stay out late after the very first international match of the summer? That is regardless of whether or not he had been drinking and, as has been suggested to The Athletic by sources within the England setup granted anonymity to protect relationships, that he was attempting to keep the peace after a Saracens player aimed a punch at Atkinson and, instead, struck the security guard trying to intervene. Saracens have declined to comment.It does not matter if Stokes was trying to break things up, just as it did not really matter that part of his defence for getting involved in a serious fracas in Bristol in 2017 was defending two gay men who were subjected to homophobic abuse.Just don’t put yourself in that position in the first place, Ben. Certainly not now you are captain, supposedly with your wild days behind you, and certainly not after England had been accused of having a drinking culture during the miserable winter in Australia.Ben Stokes awaits the post-match presentation at Lord’s on Sunday (David Rogers/Getty Images)When Stokes told a post-match media conference at Lord’s on Sunday that he was looking forward to having a celebratory beer with his players, eyebrows were raised — mainly because it is known that he has not been drinking on the whole since the start of last year.He even invested in CleanCo, an alcohol-free spirits company, so evangelical had he become about the benefits of an alcohol-free life to aid his fitness and recovery from the demands of being England’s all-action all-rounder and captain.No one sitting in the MCC squash court behind the Lord’s pavilion — a slightly bizarre venue for a press conference — begrudged Stokes wanting to enjoy a drink with his team after such an important win. No one is saying England cricketers should behave like monks.But after England as a team had enjoyed a couple of drinks in a pub in Parson’s Green, it is the decision to go on to the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea and stay there beyond midnight, after the rest of the England party had returned to their Kensington hotel, that leaves the captaincy of Stokes hanging by a thread.It is easy to say someone at the ECB, or even team-mates who stuck by the curfew (which was still in place), should have told Stokes and Atkinson to leave with them as the clock neared midnight — a time when “nothing good ever happens”, as McCullum told reporters back in February. Or whether the security guard should have been stronger and advised the captain that enough was enough.But that is easier said than done with such a strong personality as Stokes. In any case, he should be old and mature enough to act responsibly without prompting, especially at such a sensitive time for English cricket and their disillusioned post-Ashes support.But it is also possible to feel for Stokes.He has been his own worst enemy far too often, but he cares passionately about England and Test cricket and he will be desperately disappointed in himself after getting into such a scrape yet again. Stokes will need his family around him now and he will need his agent, the former England and Lancashire batter Neil Fairbrother, more than ever before. More, even, than in the aftermath of Bristol when he so nearly threw it all away.The former Lancashire and England batter turned Ben Stokes’ agent, Neil Fairbrother (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)Fairbrother is the most influential adviser in cricket, is more of a father figure to Stokes and has many other leading clients who include Joe Root, Jos Buttler and, indeed, Atkinson. He will be by his client’s side in adversity, as he has had to be all too often.It would be no surprise if Stokes resigned the captaincy ahead of the Cricket Regulator verdict, but if that were to happen, it would be a hugely sad end to what has been a rollercoaster ride of a captaincy reign and, at times, a truly brilliant one.For now, the issue of Stokes’ future can wait. More pertinent questions have to again be asked of McCullum and managing director Rob Key, who surely cannot again deny that the culture they have created is far too loose and a drinking culture does exist.For a start, they should resist asking Brook to stand in for Stokes at the Oval next week while investigations continue and, instead, invite Root to return as interim leader to try to bring a bit of calm leadership to what has again become a very unsteady ship.Otherwise, English cricket is going to be a laughing stock again if the ECB put up Brook as their face of sobriety and calm leadership in front of the masses at the Oval next Tuesday.