England duo dropped from second Test against New Zealand following nightclub incident
Steve Douglas
England captain Ben Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson have been left out of the squad for next week’s second Test against New Zealand while they are under investigation following an incident at a nightclub that brought further embarrassment to English cricket.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is investigating what it describes as a “breach of team protocols” when Stokes and Atkinson went out for the night following Sunday’s victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s; Meanwhile, a member of England’s security team was reportedly shot by a rugby player from English club Saracens.
The saga has sparked further scrutiny over the professionalism and culture around England’s Test team following the humiliating Ashes tour, following which a midnight curfew was reportedly imposed on England’s players and staff.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, given the ongoing investigation, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have not been made available for selection,” the governing body said in a statement.
In the absence of 35-year-old Stokes, former England captain Joe Root will lead the team at the Oval in the match starting on June 17.
Nominating Root as captain seemed like a delicate choice.
This is because Stokes’ vice-captain is Harry Brook, who was involved in a fight with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington, New Zealand, ahead of the Ashes tour. Brook was fined and given a final warning regarding his future conduct, but retained his role as captain of the country’s ODI and T20 sides.
Root, who resigned as captain in 2022 and was brought in by Stokes in charge of a record 64 Tests, is England’s record Test run scorer and second all-time with 13,952, a haul of 41 centuries.
Stokes is reportedly considering his future as captain following the incident in the early hours of Monday, which further damaged the ECB’s reputation. The English cricket team was looking to bounce back from the Ashes and show it had learned lessons from that controversial tour, which was marred by accusations of unprofessionalism and excessive drinking.
New Zealand-born Stokes is for many the face of English cricket after 121 Tests, as he was a key member of the country’s over-50 and T20 World Cup-winning squads in 2019 and 2022 respectively.
His performance with the bat, in particular, has declined over the last few years.
In fact, Stokes dropped the innings to 7th against New Zealand at Lord’s and made scores of 12 and 0, albeit on a very difficult pitch.
Although Stokes was close to his best bowling-wise during the Ashes series, taking a magnificent 5-23 in Australia’s first innings in the first test, his batting standards had fallen.
Stokes made his 14th Test century against India last July but found himself bogged down against Australia, torn between attack and defence, and has only made two 50s and taken six 10 overs in this series.
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