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Ben Stokes to captain England in third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge
England named Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson in the squad for the third Test after an ECB inquiry cleared both players of involvement in a June nightclub incident.
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The IndependentAudio version
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England captain Ben Stokes will lead the Test team in the third match against New Zealand at Trent Bridge starting Thursday 25 June 2026. Gus Atkinson also returns to the squad for the fixture. The England and Wales Cricket Board investigation into events at a Chelsea nightclub in the early hours of 8 June concluded that Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident.
The same inquiry found that Atkinson was the victim of two unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate. A member of England’s security staff was injured during the incident. Saracens rugby union player Totoa Auvaa was involved in the altercation with Atkinson.
Both players received written conduct warnings for breaching contractual obligations that require England players to maintain the highest standards of conduct. They were not fined. The pair had been stood down from the second Test.
An independent Cricket Regulator inquiry found Stokes and Atkinson had no case to answer regarding potential provocation. England lost the second Test to New Zealand by 253 runs at The Oval, allowing the visitors to level the three-match series at 1-1. The recalled squad includes Ollie Robinson, who missed the second Test with a knee injury, and Jamie Smith, who returns after paternity leave.
Sonny Baker and James Rew were omitted. England’s squad for the third Test: Ben Stokes (captain), 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.
Head coach Brendon McCullum stated on 21 June 2026 that Stokes will return as captain and that mutual respect exists between them.
“Ben will be back. He’ll be back and he’ll be captain,” McCullum said. ” England introduced a midnight curfew after alcohol-related issues during the winter tour of Australia. Managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key stated on or around 11 June 2026 that Atkinson claimed he did not know the curfew was in operation after the first Test.
