England captain Ben Stokes is set to miss the second Test against New Zealand next week after being caught up in an incident at a London nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning.
Stokes, 35 last week, was named in a statement released at 6pm on Monday by the ECB as being alongside team-mate Gus Atkinson after the midnight curfew – imposed following last winter’s Ashes tour and has remained in place – was broken.
Neither player is expected to be named in England’s squad for The Oval next week while an investigation takes place, meaning that Harry Brook – himself the subject of a late-night probe that saw him fined £30,000 and given an official reprimand – will lead the team.
‘The ECB is currently investigating a breach of team protocols following the conclusion of the first men’s Test against New Zealand,’ read a statement from the governing body.
England captain Ben Stokes is set to miss England’s second Test with New Zealand after the ECB launched an investigation into an incident at a nightclub on Monday morning
‘Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were present at a nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning when an incident took place.
‘We are currently seeking further information, and an announcement regarding the squad for the second Test will be made in due course.
‘The Cricket Regulator has been informed and we will provide a further update when possible.’
The regulator is an independent body that looks into cases of misconduct and will look into their behaviour in the aftermath of England’s 115-run victory over the Kiwis at Lord’s in which Atkinson bagged match figures of seven for 39.
Daily Mail Sport understands that the altercation that took place was not instigated by the two players, who were out drinking near England’s Kensington hotel.
But it is the worst possible news for a governing body desperate to clean up the image of an England team defeated 4-1 by Australia on an Ashes tour that followed Brook being punched by a Wellington night spot bouncer and featured a boozy mid-series break for the squad in Noosa likened to a stag do.
A late night video of Ben Duckett in the Queensland resort was posted on social media, with the opener appearing to be intoxicated.
The ECB’s men’s director of cricket Rob Key investigated the time in Noosa, but denied the team had a drinking culture.
Stokes and Gus Atkinson are under investigation over a breach of England team protocols
But it later emerged that Brook had been investigated for being out beyond late on the night of Halloween – hours before a one-day international defeat to New Zealand.
Brook, 27, initially made a statement of apology making clear he had been alone on the night in question, only for it later to emerge he was covering up for Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue.
He apologised for lying and all three were subject of the regulator’s inquiry. Brook and Bethell were handed caution notices for contravening player conduct rules. No further action was taken against Tongue, who was in New Zealand in a training rather than playing capacity.
During the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka and Twenty20 World Cup that followed, England’s players avoided late night drinking in public, although they did mingle with fans to celebrate victories in the bars of team hotels.
On Sunday, Stokes said at his post-match press conference that he was looking forward to sharing a celebratory beer with his team-mates in the home dressing room after putting a chastening winter for the Test team behind them with a quick fire victory on a lottery of a Lord’s pitch.
Ironically, he gave up alcohol for large swathes of the winter in a bid to get fit for the 2026 season after fracturing his cheekbone in a freak net incident with Durham.
The second Test begins on June 17, with England’s selectors of Key, Brendon McCullum and Marcus North expected to be told by their bosses that Stokes and Atkinson cannot be considered in the circumstances.
In 2018, Stokes was cleared of affray following a fight outside a Bristol nightclub hours after an England one-day international at the end of the 2017 season.
But it cost him a place in the 2017-18 Ashes and this latest episode is set to send him back to the sidelines again.
