Stokes and Atkinson dropped by England for second test against New Zealand while under investigation

England captain Ben Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson were dropped Wednesday from the squad for next week’s second test against New Zealand while they are under investigation following an incident in a nightclub that has brought further embarrassment to English cricket.

The England and Wales Cricket Board are looking into what it described as “a breach of team protocols” when Stokes and Atkinson were on a night out — following the victory over New Zealand in the first test at Lord’s on Sunday — during which a member of England’s security staff was reportedly struck by a rugby player from English club Saracens.

The saga has heaped more scrutiny on the professionalism and culture around England’s test team following a humiliating Ashes tour, after which a midnight curfew was reportedly imposed on England’s players and staff.

“The England & Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, given the ongoing investigation, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have not been made available for selection,” the governing body said in a statement.

With the 35-year-old Stokes unavailable, Joe Root — England’s previous captain — will lead the team at The Oval for the match that starts June 17.

Root’s nomination as captain seemed to be a delicate choice.

That’s because Stokes’ vice captain is Harry Brook, who himself was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington, New Zealand, before the Ashes tour. Brook was fined and given a final warning over his future conduct, but held on to his role as skipper of the country’s ODI and T20 sides.

Root, who resigned as captain in 2022 and was replaced by Stokes after a record 64 tests in charge, is England’s record test run scorer and second all time with 13,952, a haul that contains 41 centuries.

Stokes’ future remains unclear

Stokes is reportedly considering his future as captain in the wake of the incident in the early hours of Monday that has further stained the reputation of the ECB. English cricket was looking to rebuild from the Ashes and show it had learnt lessons from that controversial tour, which was marred by accusations of unprofessionalism and excessive drinking.

The New Zealand-born Stokes is, for many, the face of English cricket after 121 tests and for being a key member of the country’s 50-over and T20 World Cup-winning teams from 2019 and 2022, respectively.

His form, especially with the bat, has dipped over the past couple of years.

Indeed, against New Zealand at Lord’s, Stokes dropped down the batting order to No. 7 and made scores of 12 and 0 — albeit on a very challenging pitch.

Although Stokes was close to his best in terms of bowling during the Ashes series, taking 5-23 in a brilliant spell during Australia’s first innings of the first test, his batting standards have slipped.

Stokes hit his 14th test century last July against India but found himself bogged down against Australia, caught between attacking and defending, and ground out only two fifties in that series and made six scores below 10.

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AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed to this story

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

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