England’s original captain Ben Stokes and seam bowler Gus Atkinson received written warnings about their future conduct after both were cleared to return to England’s squad for the third and final Test match against New Zealand. With Stokes and Atkinson back in the 15-man group, England have released Sonny Baker, James Rew, and Henry Crocombe. Sonny Baker and James Rew made their debuts at the Oval, where England were thoroughly beaten by 253 runs, with both failing to make an impact.
Baker took 3/161 while Rew scored 24 and 15, as well as enduring a tough baptism behind the stumps. Jordan Cox, England’s third debutant, was initially called up as cover for Stokes but retains his spot ahead of Rew, effectively as the spare batter and wicket-keeping cover. Brendon McCullum had confirmed after the conclusion of the second Test that Stokes would be back to captain the side at Trent Bridge. He and Atkinson were not considered for selection at the Oval, following a breach of team protocol after the victory in the first Test at Lord’s a fortnight ago.
ECB’s take and statement on the whole matter
The ECB investigation has not concluded that Ben Stokes was “not involved” and “did not witness” the nightclub incident that saw an England security liaison require medical treatment, and that Atkinson was a victim of “unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate.” Separately, the Cricket Regulator found that there was no case for either player to answer.
The ECB statement said, “Ben Stokes and Gus 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.”Â
The statement further added, “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.”Â
Brendon McCullum hopes for a clean slate and a fresh mind for the deciding Test match
England’s squad for the deciding Test is the same as for Lord’s, but for Cox replacing Rew, with Jamie Smith returning from paternity leave after the birth of his second child, and Ollie Robinson fit after knee soreness kept him out of the second Test. Having made five changes for The Oval, England could make the same changes in reverse in Nottingham, with Stokes balancing the XI as all-rounder and Shoaib Bashir the frontline spin option.
Brendon McCullum said that he hoped the team could approach the deciding Third Test with a clean slate after a fraught couple of weeks that saw England playing an XI with three debutants and five players with one cap or fewer, and compounded by a sloppy performance that featured eight missed chances in the field.
Brendon McCullum said, “That’s what we’re anticipating, and the conversations we will have will be about how we ensure we can reduce the noise as much as possible around the team and make sure the guys cross the line feeling very clear and confident about how they’re going to execute their skills,”
He further added, “That’s always a challenge and not because of the last week or so. That’s always a challenge. It’ll be no different from that point of view. But I envisage we get to Trent Bridge and start dreaming the dream of success rather than trying to get too caught up in things we haven’t done quite so well.,Â
England Squad for 3rd Test Match.Â
Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
England will hope to forget what has happened in the last two weeks and the Test result as well. They would want to begin fresh after a traumatic few weeks for them, off and on the field, where they lost a Test match. With the series on the line, England would want to put their best foot forward and win the Test match and series against a resurgent New Zealand side.
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