But it is the wrong call by the ECB to send England's vice-captain to collect the prizes and so miss the opening game of the South Africa tour. Stokes would be the first since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 and only the fifth since the awards began in 1954. The ECB's decision to allow Stokes to join the tour late is an overt case of style before substance. Sterling, the Joe Gomez blot on his copybook notwithstanding, flowered into England's most influential footballer on and off the pitch. One of those feats would have been sufficient to be named Sports Personality of the Year; two ends the discussion before it even starts.

Source: Express November 28, 2019 22:30 UTC