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 been handed written conduct warnings but are recalled to the squad for next Thursday’s decider against New Zealand in Nottingham, just hours after New Zealand squared the series 1-1 with a crushing 253-run win at the Oval.
The pair had been stood down from 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, with an England and Wales Cricket Board probe concluding that Atkinson was subjected to two separate attacks and did not retaliate.
A member of England’s security staff was reportedly injured but Stokes was not present while the physical scuffle took place. Both players have been handed written warnings over their behaviour, which the ECB says contravenes the terms of their employment, but have avoided a fine and will not miss any further cricket.
A parallel investigation by the independent Cricket Regulator, focusing on the question of potential provocation, found Stokes and Atkinson 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.”
On Stokes’ return, McCullum offered an optimistic assessment despite months of speculation that the ill-fated winter tour of Australia had compromised their bond.
“Ben will be back. He’ll be back and he’ll be captain,” McCullum said.
“We have robust conversations all the way through and that’s to be expected when you’re in positions of leadership. There’s mutual respect there.
“I’ve been very clear and very supportive of Ben throughout and particularly this week. I anticipate we’ll be able to work together really well with the week coming and I’m sure both of us still have that same vision for this team.”
He added: “We’ve worked together intimately for four years, we’ve achieved some cool things and we’ve let ourselves down in other things. But it’s really important to separate the actions from the man.
“I think as leaders we help set standards and we try to abide by them and live to them constantly. Occasionally there are going to be mistakes made and during those times you can’t walk past when standards have slipped or mistakes have been made. You address it and you try to move on.”
When it comes to the details of the new, more stringent protocols that were introduced in response to a number of alcohol-related issues over the winter, there remains uncertainty.
Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, said last week that Atkinson claimed he did not know the midnight curfew was in operation after the completion of a game. In response, Key said the details had been communicated via the Team England Player Partnership – an umbrella group representing those with central contracts – and were widely known.
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.
“I think fundamentally when you represent your country you have certain standards you need to live up to. You’re not just representing yourself, you’re representing your family, the fans, the country and you’re being paid to do it.
“You’ve got to have certain standards you need to adhere to. To suggest that perhaps whilst there may not have been a hard blueprint potentially – I mean, like a hard factual [curfew] – everyone knew what was going on.”
With scrutiny unlikely to dial down when Stokes returns to lead the team in Nottingham, McCullum concluded: “There’s never a dull day in English cricket is there?
“Our job as leaders is to try and remain calm and clear and make sure we’re able to navigate through these things.”
