Ben Stokes Addresses Curfew Breach and Team Impact
England captain Ben Stokes has spoken publicly for the first time regarding his exclusion from the second Test against New Zealand due to disciplinary reasons. He revealed that he has apologised to his teammates and expressed how the backlash against Joe Root, who captained in his absence, personally affected him.
The 35-year-old all-rounder was stood down after he and fellow player Gus Atkinson breached the team’s curfew following England’s victory in the first Test at Lord’s. This incident sparked two weeks of tension within English cricket, including speculation about a rift between Stokes and the team management, as well as suggestions that he might retire.
Following a disciplinary process, Stokes received a written warning from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) but was cleared by the independent cricket regulator. Ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge, Stokes sought to shift focus to the upcoming must-win match.
Apology to Teammates and Acknowledgement of Impact
When asked if he had apologised to his teammates, particularly after the inexperienced side suffered a heavy defeat in his absence, Stokes responded:
“Of course [I apologised]. That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain.
“You look at the situation, and it affects more than just myself. It affects a lot of people. It affected [Joe Root who deputised as captain], the squad, the people outside the playing environment. It no doubt had an effect on lads who were making their debut. That should have been all about them.
“Unfortunately a situation outside of their control took precedence over their big days, making their debut for England in Test cricket. It would be stupid and naive of me not to acknowledge and address that. It’s something you do have to do, as someone who has the responsibility of being a leader in a group.
“It’s all well everything being fine and dandy when it’s all going well, but you need to take responsibility for things as well. You need to be big enough and man enough to take that upon your shoulders, and look everyone who it has affected in the eye and apologise the way you need to apologise. That is something that I did.”
Support for Joe Root Amid Criticism
Regarding Joe Root, who resumed captaincy at the Oval but suffered his 27th defeat, Stokes said:
“It was hard to see the reaction that he got. That’s something that hurt me, because I’m very, very close with Joe.
“Seeing the effect that I had on Joe from public opinion was hard to see and read from my point of view. It shouldn’t take away the courage that Joe showed in taking that on that week. It would have been very, very easy for him to have said: ‘No, I don’t need this.’ But yet again he put the team first that he’s done on multiple occasions.”
Curfew Breach Details and Team Relationships
Stokes declined to provide specific details about the curfew breach or whether players were fully aware of the curfew arrangements. However, he echoed head coach Brendon McCullum’s comments by affirming that their relationship remains strong.
On Gus Atkinson, who also returns to the side after this first off-field issue in his Test career, Stokes shared:
“I spoke with Gus quite a lot over the period. I said to him: ‘It’s not my first rodeo, being in something like this, mate.’
“‘It is tough, hard to go through, but it will be all right. Take my advice: just let time do its thing. When you’re going through something like this for the first time, like Gus has done, you don’t really know what it’s going to be like. Even though I know what it is like, it still doesn’t make it any easier.
“He’s the same as me. He said: ‘The most important thing for me and you is getting back into the team and making sure the other team members know that me and you are totally focused on the team and the result this week.’”
