England captain Ben Stokes looks set to miss next week’s second Test against New Zealand following a nightclub disturbance just hours after his team’s series-opening win at Lord’s.
Both Stokes and Gus Atkinson look likely to be stood down for the match at The Oval that starts on Wednesday week after the England & Wales Cricket Board confirmed it is investigating both players for what it has termed an “incident” in the early hours of Monday morning near the team’s Kensington hotel.
The i Paper understands both players were in breach of the midnight curfew England brought in following last winter’s Ashes tour following a string of embarrassing alcohol-fuelled incidents in Australia and New Zealand.
If Stokes does not play next week, his deputy Harry Brook, who was punished for a late-night altercation with a Wellington doorman last October, will lead the team for the second Test.
In an 80-word statement released on Monday evening, the ECB said: “The ECB is currently investigating a breach of team protocols following the conclusion of the first Men’s Test against New Zealand.
