England are positive Ben Stokes will return for next week’s third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham – but not as captain.
An expedited investigation from the Cricket Regulator is understood to have concluded on Thursday shortly after England’s Test captain was interviewed by the disciplinary body that is independent of the England & Wales Cricket Board.
The results of the investigation into both Stokes and Gus Atkinson, who broke England’s midnight curfew following the first Test victory against New Zealand at Lord’s earlier this month, are expected on Friday morning.
Both players are thought to have been handed a one-match ban – served during the ongoing second Test at The Oval – and unspecified fine.
Joe Root is standing in as captain – and may do so for some time (Photo: AFP)
It paves the way for Stokes to come back into the squad for next week’s Trent Bridge Test, with England hopeful he will return.
However, concerns over his wellbeing mean it is likely the all-rounder will be asked to come back as a player only, for now, with interim captain Joe Root leading the team again in Nottingham.
Whether Stokes would be captain after that remains to be seen, with the issue potentially being kicked down the road until later in the summer.
After Nottingham, England’s next Test is not until mid-August against Pakistan.
Doubts about Stokes’ future beyond Trent Bridge – if he does agree to play – will persist, with no guarantees he will want to continue given the tensions in his relationship with coach Brendon McCullum .
The relationship between McCullum and Stokes is under some strain (Photo: AFP)
The 35-year-old was cleared by the ECB to play for Durham in their County Championship game against Northamptonshire that starts on Friday.
It will be a welcome relief for a player who has been weighing up his international future since both he and Atkinson were stood down by England following their night out in Chelsea’s Rex Rooms the weekend before last.
Sir Ian Botham, another great all-rounder and the honorary chair of Stokes’ own club Durham, fears he will walk if the captaincy is permanently removed from him.
“I don’t know where it will go,” Botham said. “Something will happen, whichever way it is. It wouldn’t surprise me if Ben was to lose the captaincy, he might walk away from the game. But I just don’t know. It was an unnecessary procedure and one that I think he’ll regret.”
In a surprising turn of events, Stokes was also heavily criticised by Botham, who referenced the 2017 Bristol bar brawl that ended with Stokes being cleared of affray in a court case the following summer, for his ill-fated night out in London.
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“They never learn, do they?” Botham told the Stick To Cricket podcast. “It’s as simple as that. We as a club [Durham], when he had the problems in Bristol, we stood by him, I stood by him, the whole team stood by him, I was chairman then. Everyone supported him then.
“I don’t see how you can justify what happened after the game [at Lord’s], especially when you were probably very much in charge of when the curfew is, midnight.”
Referencing England’s alcohol-fuelled Ashes tour of Australia , including the mid-series holiday to Noosa, Botham added: “We used to love going out for a drink, but we weren’t quite so obvious. In Australia, they go down 2-0. What did the team do? Go to Noosa for five days and everyone knows what happened.
“The other night, I was amazed. And what I can’t get my head around is what the security bloke is doing there if he and they know they shouldn’t be there after midnight… he shouldn’t have to overrule him, because it shouldn’t happen.”
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