Ben Stokes has been given a written warning as to his future conduct but absolved of any blame for “violent conduct”, with the all-rounder recalled as England’s captain for the third Test match against New Zealand later this week.Stokes and Gus Atkinson are both included in the squad for the series’ decisive match, starting on Thursday, after the conclusion of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) disciplinary hearing into their conduct in the wake of the first Test victory at Lord’s.They were found to have “breached specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket”, a statement from the ECB confirmed.That relates to the players breaking a curfew, brought in largely at Stokes’ behest following the winter’s 4-1 trouncing in the Ashes.The ECB’s investigation concluded that no blame should be attached to either player for “violent conduct” in the incident at a Chelsea nightclub involving a Saracens academy rugby player, widely reported to be Totoa Auvaa. An ECB security guard, James Shaw, who had been with the England players was left requiring stitches.Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident, the investigation determined. “The evidence the ECB has seen demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion,” read the statement, referencing two separate attacks on Atkinson that night.The independent Cricket Regulator is expected to reveal the results of its own enquiry into the incident, which happened in the small hours of the morning on Monday, June 8, in the next 24 hours. It is expected to recommend no further action should be taken against the players and raise doubts that the curfew was officially in place as the match was over.Atkinson and Stokes represented their respective counties, Surrey and Durham, in the current round of County Championship fixtures with both offering signs of encouraging form. The fast bowler took 4-61 against Glamorgan, while Stokes scored 95 against Northamptonshire on Saturday. Both players were withdrawn from those games on Sunday in preparation for Thursday’s Test match at Trent Bridge.Ben Stokes batting for Durham against Northamptonshire on Saturday (Andy Kearns/Getty Images)“Ben will be back and will be captain, everyone is excited about that, especially after seeing him hit some form for Durham,” England coach Brendon McCullum told reporters after his side’s 253-run defeat at the Oval. “My view has not changed. I’ve been speaking to him every day since the incident and my assessment was that I was worried about him.“To see him play some cricket and look like he was enjoying himself was really positive, so I’m not going to divulge our conversations because they are confidential and I look forward to seeing him.“We’ve worked together intimately for four years, we’ve achieved some cool things and we’ve let ourselves down in other things. Our motivation and our belief and our vision for this side has not wavered. We still want to make the England team the best possible team we can and have long term sustainable success.“We have robust conversations all the way through and that’s to be expected when you’re in positions of leadership. There’s mutual respect there about how we operate and normally we are able to navigate through those and have a collaborative approach after.”Ollie Robinson, who missed the heavy defeat at the Oval after suffering soreness in his right knee after his man-of-the-match performance at Lord’s, will return in Nottingham, along with Jamie Smith whose partner gave birth to the couple’s second child on the eve of the second Test. Sonny Baker and James Rew, who each made their debuts in South London, drop out of the squad.England squad for third Test match vs New Zealand at Trent Bridge: 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.Jun 21, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms