Stokes , Atkinson return to England squad for third New Zealand Test

The England squad for the third Test against New Zealand, which begins on June 25 at Trent Bridge, includes Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes. After England's victory in the first Test, the pair were unable to be selected for the second Test due to an incident at a London nightclub. It has been confirmed that Stokes will also return as England's captain. After they were dropped from their respective counties' games, there were signs that they would be back. The ECB confirmed in a statement that "no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub" following the conclusion of a disciplinary hearing on Monday. The board went on to say that "Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident" and that it had uncovered evidence that "demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion." These statements were added by the board. However, it was determined that both players had violated "specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket." In addition, they were denied selection for the second Test and given a written warning. "Everyone has a different point of view and perspective on things. Brendon McCullum, England's head coach, told Sky Sports after the second Test, "I have been speaking with Ben every day since we had the incident to try and be supportive." "You have to separate the man from the actions. I was disappointed in the actions and in our failure to meet the standards we set for ourselves. However, you support the man, and I have always firmly believed that, and in Stokes's case, that is the same. "You had to go through a procedure and wait for the regulator's response. "We also needed to go through it, which is an internal disciplinary procedure," he added. "Next week is something I'm looking forward to. It'd be nice to have the opportunity to try and close out a series win against the very good New Zealand side. When asked about the show, he stated, "I think it would be a mighty achievement if we're able to do that, especially after the last week or so, which has been very difficult on a number of people." After losing the second Test at The Oval, England has also made a number of other roster adjustments. Along with Henry Crocombe, who was called up to serve as Ollie Robinson's backup, debutants James Rew and Sonny Baker have been dropped. It is anticipated that Jamie Smith, who was absent from the second Test due to paternity leave, will rejoin the XI and assume the gloves. England squad for third Test: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue