Former England captain David Gower said on Tuesday he fears Ben Stokes’s reign as Test skipper may already be in “the past tense” following the all-rounder’s involvement in a nightclub incident with a Saracens rugby player.

Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson are facing a probe by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for breaking team curfew rules on Monday morning following England’s win in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.