24 June,2026 08:26 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ben Stokes (File pic)
England Test skipper Ben Stokes said that he has apologised to his English teammates for missing the second Test against New Zealand due to breaching team protocols.
After missing The Oval Test along with pacer Gus Atkinson due to an alleged breach of team curfew and an incident in a Chelsea nightclub after securing a win in the first Lord's Test, skipper Stokes is back in the playing XI as a captain.
England lost the second Test by 253 runs, with Joe Root stepping in as captain. The absence of Stokes and Atkinson came after Ollie Robinson and Jamie Smith also missed the second Test due to an injury and paternity leave, respectively.
Speaking in the pre-match presser on Wednesday, Stokes said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo,
"Of course, I apologised. That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain. You look at the situation, and it affects more than just me. It affects a lot of people; it affected Joe, the squad, and the people outside the playing environment. It no doubt had an effect on lads who were making their debut. That should have been all about them, but unfortunately, a situation outside of their control took precedence over their big days, making their debut for England in Test cricket." Stokes said.
Stokes said that it would have been 'stupid and naive' of him not to acknowledge and address the situation, noting the responsibility he has as a leader of the group.
"It is all fine and well, everything being fine and dandy when it is all going well, but you need to take responsibility for things as well. You need to be big enough and man enough to take that upon your shoulders, and look everyone who it has affected in the eye and apologise the way you need to apologise. That is something that I did," he added.
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
(With ANI inputs)
