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England captain Stokes dropped from second Test after nightclub incident
England captain Ben Stokes and team-mate Gus Atkinson have been dropped from the squad for next week's second Test against New Zealand at the Oval, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Wednesday.
The pair are currently facing an ECB probe for breaking the team's midnight curfew following England's win in the first Test at Lord's.
Joe Root will step in as interim captain in Stokes's absence.
"The England & Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, given the ongoing investigation, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have not been made available for selection for the Rothesay second Test against New Zealand, which starts at the Kia Oval on Wednesday 17 June," said an ECB statement.
"Yorkshire batter Joe Root will lead the team as interim captain.
"Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer and Essex batter Jordan Cox have been added to the squad."
The ECB announced Monday they were looking into Stokes's involvement in a nightclub incident also involving Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa on Monday morning following England's 115-run win in the first Test at Lord's.
It is the latest controversy concerning the England team after the tour of Australia where the side faced allegations of a drinking culture during a 4-1 Ashes series loss.
A physical confrontation with Auvaa is understood to have led to a member of ECB security staff being struck.
In addition to the ECB probe, both Stokes and Atkinson remain subject to another investigation by the independent Cricket Regulator.
But the temporary appointment of Root, the captain before Stokes took over in 2022, suggests there is a way back for the all-rounder despite reports he was ready to stand down as skipper or even quit international cricket completely.
The ECB have also avoided an embarrassing situation had vice-captain Harry Brook been promoted.
Brook, already the captain of England's white-ball teams, was fined and censured for late-night drinking and clashing with a nightclub bouncer before captaining England in a one-day international in Wellington in October -- an incident that led to the midnight curfew.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer's expected return to the squad was confirmed Wednesday after the fast bowler missed the first of a three-Test series because of his Indian Premier League commitments.
The express quick could now come into the side as Atkinson's replacement.
Batsman Cox could compete with James Rew and Rehan Ahmed for Stokes's place in the side.
M.Gonzalez--SFF
