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England head coach Brendon McCullum confirmed that Ben Stokes will return to the squad and resume captaincy for the third Test against New Zealand next week, with the team set to be announced later.
McCullum emphasized that their shared vision for England cricket remains unchanged, describing the recent situation as part of a necessary process rather than any deeper issue. Stokes and seamer Gus Atkinson stood down from the second Test for disciplinary reasons, a move that appears to clear the way for their reintegration into the squad. "Firstly Ben will be back, we'll name the squad this afternoon. Ben will be back and be captain. Everyone is excited about that," McCullum said as per ESPNcricinfo. "I think we've always backed [Stokes], and I talked extensively about over the last four years, we've worked collaboratively together for the betterment of English cricket, and we've always had the same vision and goal at hand, and that hasn't changed. It's just there's a process that was needed to go through," he added. McCullum also said he is looking forward for third Test against Kiwi's and the opportunity for England to seal a series win against a strong New Zealand. He described a potential series victory as a major achievement, especially given the challenges faced by the team over the past week, which he noted had been difficult for several members of the squad. "I'm looking forward to next week," McCullum said. "It'd be nice to have the opportunity to try and close out a series win against the very good New Zealand side. If we're able to do that, then I think it'd be a mighty achievement, particularly after the last week or so, which has been very difficult on a number of people." Stokes and Atkinson were unavailable for selection at The Oval after reportedly breaching team curfew following England's victory in the first Test, which was linked to an incident at a Chelsea nightclub where an ECB security liaison was allegedly struck. Both players were subsequently allowed to feature for their counties while investigations by the Cricket Regulator and the ECB remain ongoing, with the findings yet to be publicly released. (ANI)
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