English stars Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been withdrawn from the ongoing County Championship matches at the request of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), a move which has fueled speculation that both players could return for the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge next week.Neither Stokes nor Atkinson played in the second Test after breaking a team curfew while celebrating England’s first series win at Lord’s. With the alternate captain Joe Root leading an inexperienced team, England took on New Zealand at The Oval and faced a tough final day.Before retiring, both players had impressed for their countries. Stokes featured for Durham against Northamptonshire and bowled 25 overs on Friday before scoring 95 runs in an entertaining knock on Saturday. Among those who watched his performance was national coach Marcus North.Atkinson also made his presence felt for Surrey against Glamorgan, taking four wickets for 61 runs. Following the ECB’s request, Stokes was replaced by Colin Ackermann in Durham’s XI, while Tom Lawes came on for Atkinson at Surrey.
The questions remain closed curfew violation investigation
Although England head coach Brendon McCullum had previously expressed concern about Stokes’ mindset, Durham coach Ryan Campbell offered a different view. “All I saw was the same old Ben Stokes who loves to be in the Durham dressing room, who loves to be on the cricket pitch and who hasn’t missed a beat,” he added.According to reports in the English media, the ECB is still investigating the double curfew violation and a decision has not yet been made public. Likewise, England’s squad for the third Test has not been confirmed. Any news on that matter is expected only after the conclusion of the second Test at The Oval.Meanwhile, England suffered a 253-run defeat to New Zealand at The Oval, squandering the momentum from their Lord’s victory as the series was leveled 1-1 ahead of the decisive third Test in Nottingham.
