England captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson have been added to England's squad for the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, starting on June 25. Both return to the side after receiving clearance following the conclusion of an ECB disciplinary investigation. The pair were unavailable for England’s second Test defeat at The Kia Oval, where New Zealand recorded a sensational 253-run victory to level the series.
Stokes and Atkinson were left out of the second Test after an incident at a nightclub on June 8, shortly after England had celebrated a convincing win in the opening Test at Lord’s. The episode prompted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to launch an inquiry into the events that took place that night.
"Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been included in the England Men's squad for the third Rothesay Test against New Zealand following the conclusion of an ECB disciplinary hearing in relation to their conduct in the early hours of Monday 8 June," the ECB statement read.
Even after being cleared of wrongdoing regarding the nightclub scuffles, the ECB stated that they had breached team regulations by failing to adhere to a midnight curfew. As a result, Stokes and Atkinson received formal written warnings.
"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."
England squad for third Test: Ben Stokes (c), 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, Josh Tongue