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England and New Zealand face each other in a three-match Test series. The first match ended as the Three Lions won the game by 115 runs in the batting graveyard of Lord’s Cricket Ground. After the match, Ben Stokes and England fast bowler Gus Atkinson were involved in a nightclub fight against a rugby player, breaking team curfew protocols.
Following a physical altercation with Totoa Auwa, the former Samoa A and Samoa under-20 captain, who is 6 feet 5 inches (1.95 m) tall. Before the fight, Stokes and Atkinson breached the team curfew by going to a club at night and now English captain Stokes and Atkinson have both been dropped from the team.
Joe Root has replaced Ben Stokes
Now, as England Cricket and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced their squads for the second Test against the Kiwis, Joe Root has been made the captain of the team ahead of Harry Brook, who is also the vice-captain of the team, and both Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been ruled out of the Test match as punishment.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, in view of the ongoing investigation, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have not been made available for selection for the Rothesay second Test against New Zealand, which begins on Wednesday 17 June at the Kia Oval,” the ECB statement read.
Joe Root returns to captaincy after four years
Root has led the Test team for a record 64 matches from 2017 to 2022, before Ben Stokes took over the captaincy for the first time. He has been a sensational captain for the Three Lions as he has registered 27 wins, equal to Michael Vaughan for the most wins by an England Test captain.
The 35-year-old batsman also led the team in Pakistan last year when Ben Stokes missed the first Test due to illness, but he has always come up big for the team at important times, as Harry Brook was fined and cautioned for an incident in a nightclub in New Zealand last year.
Archer has returned to the team after missing the first test.
The Three Lions have made two changes in place of Stokes and Atkinson, with wicketkeeper-batsman Jordan Cox and fast bowler Jofra Archer returning to the squad as the latter was rested from the first Test following his Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 stint with Rajasthan Royals. Head coach Brendon McCullum had earlier confirmed that Archer would be available for this Test.
Cox, who was twice denied his anticipated Test debut due to injury, has not played a first-class match since appearing for Essex in September last year. He has already played for England Lions in the 50-over series against South Africa and he smashed a blistering 40 off 31 balls as Essex defeated Kent in the Vitality Blast on Tuesday evening.
New Zealand vs England Test Squad for 2nd Test: Joe Root (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethel, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Reve, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue.