NEW DELHI: England captain Ben Stokes has admitted he apologized to his teammates after returning for the decisive third Test against New Zealand cricket team. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test after being investigated for allegedly breaking the midnight curfew following England’s win in the first game. Although cleared of any violent behavior, both received written warnings for violating team rules.Speaking ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge, Stokes said addressing the team was one of the first things he did after returning to the team.“That was one of the first things I had to do as captain,” Stokes told reporters.The England captain admitted that the nightclub controversy affected more than just him. He said it overshadowed an important moment for several young players who made their Test debuts during the second game.“It affected Joe, it affected the team, it affected people outside the playing environment. It certainly had an effect on the guys making their debut. It should have been all about them, but unfortunately a situation beyond their control took precedence over their big debut day for England in Test cricket,” he added.England, led by Joe Root in Stokes’ absence, lost the second Test by 253 runs as New Zealand leveled the series 1-1.Stokes said leadership means owning mistakes and apologizing when necessary.“It would be stupid and naive if I didn’t admit it and deal with that issue. It’s all right that everything is fine when things are going well, but you have to take responsibility for things. If you’re the one who has to take that responsibility, you have to be big enough and man enough to take it on your shoulders, look everyone in the eye and apologize properly. “That’s what I did,” he said.The 34-year-old also dismissed suggestions of a rift with England coach Brendon McCullum.“You don’t plan to go through something like this together in a professional environment. Me and Brendon talked almost every day in the initial period.“Maybe in the future we will look back on this and leave, this brought us closer. This split, this distance, we certainly did not move away.”With the series level at 1-1, Stokes said both he and Atkinson are now solely focused on helping England win the final Test.“The main thing about my return, Gus’s return is to focus on the main goal, which is the cricket this week.“The series is 1-1, we have one more game, and the importance of the results of this game is what we have to concentrate on,” he concluded.
