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4h ago

ECB Reinstates Ben Stokes as Test Captain After Curfew Ruling

The board issued written warnings for a midnight curfew breach and cleared the pair of responsibility for nightclub violence, so Stokes will lead England at Trent Bridge.

Cricket - England v New Zealand - First Test - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 7, 2026 England's Gus Atkinson celebrates with Ben Stokes and Jacob Bethell after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Nathan Smith, caught out by Jamie Smith Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
England captain Ben Stokes is expected to return next week at Trent Bridge (Photo: PA)
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Overview

  • An ECB disciplinary hearing concluded on Sunday that Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson breached a midnight squad curfew from the celebrations after the Lord’s Test on June 8 and issued both players with written warnings.
  • The ECB found no blame should be attached to either player for violent conduct at a Chelsea nightclub, concluding Stokes was not involved and Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks.
  • Both men were stood down for the second Test at The Oval and withdrawn from their ongoing county matches while the investigations ran, and both have now been named in England’s 15‑player squad for the third Test at Trent Bridge.
  • England lost the second Test by 253 runs without Stokes, a defeat that supporters and pundits said underlined the on-field impact of his absence and makes the Trent Bridge match a direct test of whether reinstating him restores balance.
  • The episode has sharpened debate inside English cricket over curfew rules, how they are communicated and enforced, and whether the ECB will tighten conduct protocols or drinking limits going forward.