By Arjun 
Joe Root will captain England in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval after Ben Stokes was withdrawn from selection while an on-going disciplinary investigation is ongoing.
In an odd twist, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Alec Stewart’s managerial side would be unable to select Stokes or fast bowler Gus Atkinson for the Test starting on June 17. That announcement follows the Board’s ongoing investigation into their participation in an incident, alleged to have occurred at a London nightclub after England secured victory in the first Test at Lord’s earlier this month.
Stokes and Atkinson are alleged to have broken the team’s midnight curfew by staying up playing at the venue until in the early hours of June 8. A curfew was imposed earlier this year following numerous alcohol-fuelled incidents involving England players while on tours of New Zealand and Australia.
The dispute is believed to have turned violent when an incident involving Saracens rugby star Totua Auvaa in which an ECB security officer suffered injury. The ECB has decided to drop both players from consideration for the make-or-break second Test, but investigations are still continuing.
Consequently, Joe Root will come back to the captaincy for a while. Root was captain of the longest format and stepped down in 2022 with Stokes succeeding him and a new era for the national side. The veteran batsman now returns to the helm at a key point in the series.
England have also made a couple of changes to their squad. Wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox has been called into the squad, and fast bowler Jofra Archer is back in the Test setup after being given a break from the first match after his IPL commitment.
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Not having Stokes and Atkinson is a huge blow for England, who are looking to build on the positive results against New Zealand. But the return of Archer and Root’s leadership experience gives the hosts timely reinforcements ahead of what is sure to be a big game at The Oval.
The investigation is ongoing, and more news regarding the fates of Stokes and Atkinson may break in the days to come.