Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson are out of England’s Test squad for the second match against New Zealand after their late-night episode at a nightclub. The fallout has thrown Stokes’ captaincy and his future with the team into question. England’s named Joe Root as their stand-in captain for now—not the actual vice-captain, Harry Brook—for the game starting June 17 at The Oval.
So, what actually happened at the nightclub? After England’s win at Lord’s in the first Test, Stokes and Atkinson broke curfew and headed to a club in Chelsea. That’s where things went sideways. The two got into an argument with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa, and things escalated fast. The Saracens squad was out celebrating their season when the scuffle broke out. Auvaa ended up throwing a punch, and it hit England’s security manager, who needed stitches afterwards. According to what’s come out, the ECB said Stokes and Atkinson weren’t the ones who started it.
Stokes is meeting with his advisors this week to talk through his options. There’s all sorts of talk about him possibly retiring from international cricket—turns out, he’s been thinking about it. But apparently, after cooling off, he’s still undecided. He’s supposed to sit down with Neil Fairbrother, who’s been a close friend and advisor, to figure out what’s next.
As for the captaincy, Root steps in for now. Brook, who’s actually vice-captain, wasn’t picked—maybe not a huge shock since he was fined last month over his own nightclub incident during the New Zealand tour. England has called up Jofra Archer and Jordan Cox to replace Stokes and Atkinson. Archer and Cox were in the IPL before this—Archer’s been with Rajasthan Royals, and Cox hasn’t played a Test yet because injuries have stopped him twice from making his debut. Archer missed the first Test because there just wasn’t enough time after the IPL.
Here’s the squad for the next match: Joe Root (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith (wk), and Josh Tongue.
