London (AFP) – Ian Botham has criticised dropped England captain Ben Stokes for breaking a team curfew, with the cricket great saying he does not see "how you justify what happened".
Issued on: 18/06/2026 - 20:56
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Ben Stokes has been left out of England's squad for the second Test against New Zealand © Saeed KHAN / AFP
Both all-rounder Stokes and paceman Gus Atkinson were made unavailable for the ongoing second Test against New Zealand at the Oval pending an investigation into an incident in a London bar.Stokes, 35, and Atkinson, 28, broke the England team's midnight curfew while celebrating victory in the first Test at Lord's a fortnight ago, with a member of the team's security staff reportedly struck by a Saracens rugby player.The England duo are being investigated by both the England and Wales Cricket Board and the independent Cricket Regulator."Some people just don't learn, do they? It's as simple as that," Botham told the Stick to Cricket podcast in comments reported by the BBC.Botham, president of Stokes' county side Durham, added: "We as a club when he (Stokes) had the problems in Bristol (in 2017), we stood by him."He added: "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."Stokes has been named in Durham's 15-man squad for their County Championship fixture against Northamptonshire, which starts on Friday, but his England future remains uncertain.
