Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson dropped by England for second Test against New Zealand as Joe Root named captain

England captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been dropped for the second Test against New Zealand after breaking team protocol with Joe Root taking over as captain.

The ECB said the pair had “not been made available for selection” after breaching England’s new midnight curfew when they were present at a nightclub when an altercation took place with a Saracens rugby player in the early hours of Monday morning.

The team’s announcement for the clash at The Kia Oval, which begins on Wednesday, June 17, live on Sky Sportscomes with Stokes understood to be considering his future.

Root was replaced by Stokes as England captain in 2022 after a record 64 Tests in the role, but now makes a surprise return as what the ECB have described as “interim captain”.

Harry Brook was theoretically in line to take over as Stokes’ official vice-captain, but given the circumstances and the fact that Brook himself was disciplined over the winter for an off-field incident, the ECB appears to have decided reinstating Root is more appropriate.

An ECB statement said: “The England & Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, in light of the ongoing investigation, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have not been made available for selection for Rothesay’s second Test against New Zealand, which starts at the Kia Oval on Wednesday 17 June. Yorkshire batsman Joe Root will lead the team as interim captain.”

The dropped duo have been replaced in the squad by bowler Jofra Archer following his return from IPL action, and batsman Jordan Cox.

Archer is an obvious replacement for Atkinson, while Essex batsman Cox is among several players who could battle for Stokes’ position.

All-rounder Rehan Ahmed, batsman James Rew and bowlers Sonny Baker and Matthew Fisher are the other four members of the 15-man squad who did not feature in the first Test at Lord’s, which England won by 115 runs.

England squad for second test against New Zealand

Joe Root (Yorkshire) – Captain
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Sonny Baker (Hampshire)
Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Jordan Cox (Essex)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Matthew Fisher (Surrey)
Emilio Gay (Durham)
James Rew (Somerset)
Ollie Robinson (Sussex)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

Nightclub incident explained

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launched an investigation into the incident it happened as Stokes and Atkinson celebrated Sunday’s win against New Zealand at Lord’s.

Stokes and Atkinson, as well as another member of ECB staff, were at the nightclub when an altercation involving a Saracens rugby union player took place in the early hours of Monday.

It is understood the unnamed Saracens player threw a punch at Atkinson, but instead hit a security guard monitoring the players. It is not clear whether further punches were subsequently thrown.

The cricketers’ presence at the London nightspot was in breach of a midnight curfew imposed on the team, which was introduced in response to criticism of the side’s professionalism and drinking habits.

There has been no police involvement, but the decision to leave Stokes and Atkinson out of the second Test shows that the career consequences have been significant.

‘Decision buys ECB and Stokes some time’

Sky Sports News reporter James Cole:

“It buys some time. It allows the ECB and Ben Stokes to continue to talk and find out what is the best way forward.

“It’s a really difficult situation for the ECB because the question is, has Ben Stokes’ position become untenable? In isolation, drinking late at night to celebrate a win is not a big problem, but the fact that it is this curfew that he has broken is.

“Should it cost him the England captaincy? Many cricket fans, pundits and former captains disagree on that. If the captain can’t abide by the rules, how are the players supposed to abide by the rules?

“The other argument is that he is a brilliant captain and is one of England’s greatest players, so does the punishment fit the crime? There are many opinions about that.

“The danger for England if they remove the captaincy from Stokes, not only is he an excellent captain and by far the best man for the job in this team, he could turn around and say ‘I’ve had enough’.

“He took the Ashes defeat hard and he’s had his injuries. If we had to, that one late-night alcohol incident cost England one of their best ever players.

“That’s the dilemma the ECB is facing at the moment. This just gives them some time to come up with a solution and talk to Ben Stokes about a way forward.”