Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson return for England's series deciding Test at Trent Bridge
London, June 21
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been recalled to the England squad for the series‑deciding Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, starting on Thursday, after being stood down from the recently concluded second game following a breach of team protocols.
The announcement came little more than an hour after England, fielding a depleted line‑up, were beaten by 253 runs by New Zealand at The Oval. Stokes and Atkinson had earlier been withdrawn from their respective county championship duties for Durham and Surrey, thus clearing the way for their selection after being stood down following a nightclub incident on June 8, after England secured a115-run victory at Lord's.
The incident also involved a Saracens academy rugby player. "Stokes and Atkinson were found to have breached specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket.
"In addition to not being considered for selection for the second Rothesay Test, they have both been given a written warning as to their conduct. It was also concluded that no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub. Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident.
"The evidence the ECB has seen demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion," said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in its statement.
Ollie Robinson, who missed out due to knee soreness, and Jamie Smith, who sat out the second Test due to paternity leave, are also in a 15-player squad for the third Test, with Sonny Baker and James Rew left out.
England squad: Ben Stokes, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue
— IANS
Reader Comments
Seems like a pretty minor issue - they didn't even do anything violent, just broke some boring contractual rules. England really need Stokes back as captain and all-rounder, so this recall makes sense. The series decider at Trent Bridge will be fascinating - Root vs Southee again! 🇳🇿🇬🇧
I hope the ECB's investigation was thorough. Being a victim of unprovoked attacks is serious, and Atkinson must have been shaken. But why were they even at a nightclub after winning? Indian players would never put themselves in such situations - our BCCI keeps strict discipline. Stokes good for England though 👏
Good to see Stokes back, but does anyone else think this whole protocol breach thing is overblown? These guys were celebrating a series win in a nightclub, got attacked, and now they're being punished. ECB should focus on the real issues - like that collapse at The Oval where they lost by 253 runs! 🤦♂️
Great to see the ECB handling discipline properly - written warnings and dropping them for a game is fair. But the real story here is that Robinson and Smith are back too! Full strength England at Trent Bridge will be dangerous. Root, Stokes, Robinson, Tongue - that's some serious quality! 🔥 India vs England later this year should be epic!
Not a great look for Stokes as captain - being involved in a nightclub incident and getting dropped. But he's too valuable to leave out for long. The ECB statement that "no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct"
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