Steve Harmison isn’t happy with Sir Ian Botham’s comments about Ben Stokes ahead of the England Test captain’s return to action.Stokes was left out of the squad for the second Test against New Zealand after breaking curfew.Stokes has been punished by the ECB, but he is set to get himself back into the teamGettyThe 35-year-old and Gus Atkinson stayed out longer than the 12am curfew and were present when an incident involving an ECB security guard and a Saracens rugby player took place.Concerns over Stokes carrying on and possibly retiring were raised, with The Cricketer’s George Dobell telling talkSPORT that he feared the England captain would pack it in.But reports from various outlets suggest that he will be back for the third and final Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.Botham, though, had no sympathy for Stokes.In an episode of the Stick to Cricket Podcast, he said: “Some people just don’t learn do they? It’s as simple as that.“We as a club [Durham], when he had the problems in Bristol [in 2017], we stood by him, I stood by him, the whole team stood by him, I was chairman then. Everyone supported him then.“I don’t see how you can justify what happened after the game [at Lord’s], especially when you were probably very much in charge of when the curfew is, midnight.”But Harmison came out in strong defence of Stokes.Speaking on the talkSPORT Cricket international commentary of the second Test, he said: “A lot of this, for me, is nonsense.“Ben Stokes should be back next week. Stokes and Atkinson have been playing for Durham and Surrey this week rather than EnglandGetty“I understand the curfew bit. I understand that, but at the end of a Test match, should there be a curfew or shouldn’t there?“For me, a lot of it has been blown out of proportion, and I am astounded what Sir Ian Botham said – I really don’t get that.“For what he was saying about Ben, I am really disappointed in the great man.“Yes, there is a lot of team protocol, and he should be sanctioned and reprimanded, but for him to miss a Test match for being out after 12 – I can’t get that.”Knows what it is likeAfter an awful winter for England Down Under, losing 4-1 to a weakened Australia team, the England side were under a lot of pressure.They beat New Zealand at Lord’s in one of the shortest matches ever played by the number of overs, and the praise was very much not forthcoming.Botham was particularly scathing of StokesInstead, all of the talk was about the pitch, and Harmy compared what happened to Stokes to his time in the 2006/07 Ashes.The England legend infamously bowled the first ball of the series to second slip, and the visitors lost 5-0.So, he knows how the skipper is feeling.“I went through this in 2006/07. We lost 5-0, I was in a bad way, and that is why I feel strongly about it.“I bowled the first ball to second slip, and I had to wait for six months for the right to reply because I didn’t get to play cricket again for England.“Ben Stokes played in a Test match that his team won, so surely, you can go out and celebrate.“I really do hope that things start dying down because a lot of it has been blown out of all proportion.“If we get him back playing again next week as England captain, and get back to winning ways, time can be a good healer.”Defending until the endStokes had previously stopped drinking, but after the win over New Zealand at Lord’s, he admitted that he would be enjoying a beer with his team.In the end, he broke the curfew and has been punished for it.And Harmison can absolutely sympathise with the England captain.“I was very critical of England in Australia, but this was the chance to put a few wrongs right and to get positivity back.“The positive was, we won the Test match and all anybody wanted to talk about was the pitch, but if it was me, and it got to 11pm, and I had one too many beers, I am also probably not going home after the negativity and what they’d been put through.“So, I will defend him on that.”