Ben Stokes Gus Atkinson (Photo by Getty Images)
England stars Ben Stokes and Jos Atkinson have withdrawn from their ongoing County Championship matches following a request from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), a move that has sparked speculation that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 they violated the team’s curfew while celebrating England’s victory in the series opener at Lord’s.
With stand-in captain Joe Root leading an inexperienced side, England struggled against New Zealand at The Oval and faced a difficult final day.Before withdrawing, both players had impressed for their respective counties. Stokes featured for Durham against Northamptonshire and bowled 25 overs on Friday before smashing 95 runs in an entertaining knock on Saturday.
National selector Marcus North was among those who watched his performance.Atkinson also made his presence felt for Surrey against Glamorgan, taking four wickets for 61 runs. At the request of the ECB, Stokes was replaced by Colin Ackerman in Durham’s starting line-up, while Tom Laws came in for Atkinson in Surrey.
The questions remain over Violating the curfew investigation
Although England coach Brendon McCullum had previously expressed concerns about Stokes’ mentality, Durham coach Ryan Campbell offered a different view.
“All I saw was the same old Ben Stokes who loved being in the Durham dressing room, who loved being around the cricket field and who never missed a beat,” he added.According to English media reports, the European Central Bank is still investigating the couple’s curfew breach, and no decision has been announced yet. Likewise, England’s squad for the third Test has not been confirmed. Any update on this matter is not expected until after the second Test at The Oval is over.Meanwhile, England suffered a crushing 253-run defeat to New Zealand at The Oval, dissipating the momentum from Lord’s’ victory as the series was settled 1-1 ahead of the crucial third Test in Nottingham.