Ben Stokes back as England captain as ‘no blame attached’ for nightclub scuffle

England captain Ben Stokes will return to lead the Test side next week after a disciplinary investigation concluded he was not involved in the altercation that saw two “unprovoked attacks” on team-mate Gus Atkinson.

Stokes and Atkinson have received written conduct warnings, and England has recalled them to the squad for next Thursday’s decider against New Zealand in Nottingham.

The news arrived just hours after New Zealand squared the Rothesay Series 1-1 with a crushing 253-run win at the Kia Oval.

Matt Henry tore through England’s batting on the final morning, taking six for 29 to seal victory for the visitors.

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Warned

The ECB stood the pair down from England duty after an incident at a Chelsea nightspot in the early hours of June 8.

An altercation took place with Saracens rugby union player Totoa Auvaa.

However, an England and Wales Cricket Board probe concluded that Atkinson was the subject of two separate attacks and did not retaliate.

A member of England’s security staff reportedly suffered an injury, but Stokes was not present during the physical scuffle.

The ECB has warned both players over their behaviour, which it says contravenes the terms of their employment.

Although, they both have avoided a fine and will not miss any further cricket.

An independent Cricket Regulator conducted a parallel investigation.

It focused on the question of potential provocation and found that the England players had no case to answer.

A statement from the ECB read: “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.”

Chaotic episode

The developments end the formal part of a chaotic episode that, at one stage, raised fears that Stokes might lose the captaincy or even announce his retirement.

But there are plenty of thorny questions still to grapple with.

With England due to train in Nottingham on Tuesday, uncertainty lingers over the state of his relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum.

The duo were thick as thieves for the first three years of their partnership but have had to rebuff suggestions of a growing rift since an ill-fated Ashes tour over the winter.

McCullum said he was initially angry when hearing about Stokes and Atkinson’s late-night escapades.

He later repeated his “concern” and “worry” over the captain’s wellbeing.

Move on

Those comments are understood to have been met with bafflement by the 35-year-old.

“Ben will be back and he’ll be captain. Everyone’s excited about that,” McCullum said.

“I’ve been speaking to Ben every day since the incident. I’m not going to divulge our conversations because they are confidential.

“But I look forward to seeing him in a few days.

“There’s mutual respect there. I anticipate we’ll be able to work together really well and I’m sure both of us still have the same vision for this team.

“Occasionally there are going to be mistakes made and you can’t walk past when standards have slipped or mistakes have been made.

“You address it and you try to move on.”

Details

Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, said last week that Atkinson claimed he did not know a midnight curfew was in operation after the completion of a game.

In response, Key said the Team England Player Partnership – representing those with central contracts – had communicated the details. He added that players widely knew them.

Asked for his view, McCullum said: “Look, even if there is ambiguity I think we’ve sat here and talked about the curfew. Talked about standards.

“You’re not just representing yourself. You’re representing your family, the fans, your country and you’re being paid to do it.

“You’ve got to have certain standards you need to adhere to.

“Whilst there may not have been a hard blueprint potentially – I mean, like a hard factual [curfew] – everyone knew what was going on.”

READ MORE: Ben Stokes moves closer to England return after withdrawal from Durham duty