England Vs New Zealand, 3rd Test 2026: Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson Cleared For Series Decider At Trent Bridge

Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been reinstated to England’s 15-player squad for the third Test against New Zealand, beginning June 25 at Trent Bridge, following the conclusion of an ECB disciplinary hearing. Both players, who were made unavailable for the second Test at The Oval after a June 8 incident at a London nightclub, have been cleared of violent conduct.

The ECB confirmed the investigation’s findings in a statement, noting, "that no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub." The board added, "Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident," and that evidence "demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion."

Despite being cleared of violence, both players were issued written warnings for breaching contractual obligations regarding team conduct. Stokes will return to his role as captain, providing a significant boost for the series decider after England’s 253-run defeat at The Oval leveled the series at 1-1.

The incident occurred in the early hours of June 8, following England’s victory in the first Test against New Zealand. After initially celebrating with the team at a pub, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson visited the Rex Rooms, a nightclub in Chelsea, London. While at the venue, they were present during a violent altercation involving a group of Saracens rugby players who were celebrating their end-of-season party.

Reports indicate that an academy player from Saracens allegedly targeted Atkinson, resulting in two separate unprovoked attacks on the fast bowler, one of which reportedly struck an ECB security guard who was in their company and required stitches.

Both Stokes and Atkinson were found to have breached team protocol by violating the squad’s midnight curfew, but investigations by both the ECB and the independent Cricket Regulator concluded that neither cricketer was responsible for the violence or acted with provocation.

'Tried To be Supportive': McCullum

Reflecting on the turbulent week, England head coach Brendon McCullum told Sky Sports, "People always have a difference of opinion and see things differently. From my point of view, I have been speaking to Ben every day since we had the incident to try and be supportive."

He further remarked, "You've got to separate the actions from the man, so I was disappointed in the actions and us not meeting the standards which we set for ourselves, but then you support the man, and I've always firmly believed in that, and in Stokes's case, that's no different."

Looking towards Nottingham, McCullum added, "I'm looking forward to next week. 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."

England’s squad for the final Test also sees Jamie Smith return from paternity leave, while debutants Sonny Baker and James Rew, along with Henry Crocombe, have been dropped.

England's Squad For Third Test Against New Zealand

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