Stokes apologises to team-mates before Test return

Ben Stokes apologised to his team-mates before his return as England captain for the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson were made unavailable for the second Test, which ended in a 253-run defeat, pending an investigation into a breach of the team's midnight curfew and an incident in a London nightclub following England's victory in the series opener. Both players were recalled to the XI for the third Test, starting on Thursday, after being found blameless of "violent conduct" by the Cricket Regulator. A disciplinary hearing by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) found they had "breached contractual obligations" and issued them a written warning.

Joe Root captained the side in Stokes' absence, with Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, and James Rew making their debuts in a much-changed side. "That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain," Stokes said, when asked about his apology to team-mates. "You look at a situation and it affects more than just myself. It affected Joe, it affected the squad, it affects the people outside the playing environment.

"It no doubt had an effect on the lads who were making their debut. That should have been all about them but unfortunately a situation out of their control took precedence over their big day of making their debut for England in Test cricket. It would be stupid and naive for me not to acknowledge that and address that. And it’s something that you do have to do as someone who’s got the responsibility of being a leader within a group.

"It’s all fine and well everything being fine and dandy when it’s going well, but you need to take responsibility for things as well. If that’s you that needs to take that responsibility, you need to be big enough and man enough to be able to take that upon your shoulders, look everyone in the eye, and apologise how you need to apologise. That’s what I did."

Stokes' relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum was under scrutiny throughout the investigation. McCullum was non-committal about the 35-year-old's future as captain before the second Test, expressing "worry and concern" for the all-rounder. However, both reaffirmed their alliance, with Stokes asserting they "haven’t drifted apart," after McCullum shut down rift speculation.

"You don’t plan on going through something like this together in a professional environment," he said. "Me and Brendon were talking pretty much every day in the initial period. Maybe in the future we’ll look back on this and say this did bring us tighter. This rift, this drifting apart, we certainly haven’t drifted."

Stokes acknowledged the "love and support" he received from team-mates, cricket fans, and the media. He also revealed he actively kept in contact with Atkinson, advising him to "let time do its thing" and reassured him that "eventually everything will be okay." Stokes emphasized that the team's focus is now on the cricket pitch, particularly with the series tied at 1-1.

"There’s been a lot going on, there’s no hiding away from that. But it’s making sure that we try our best to get the team’s focus onto the most important thing, which is what we need to go out there and do. We’ve got one game left, and the importance of the result of this game is the one thing we need to concentrate on."