In a major development, the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) came forward and announced Englandโs squad for the third and final Test of the ongoing series against New Zealand. One of the biggest inclusions in the side has been that of Ben Stokes.ย
He will be leading the side in the game after a disciplinary investigation concluded that he was not involved in the altercation against Gus Atkinson. It is interesting to note that both Stokes and Atkinson have been handed written conduct warning letters and have been added to the squad.ย
Notably, both Atkinson and Stokes were removed from Englandโs squad for the second Test after an incident that happened on June 8th. An altercation with a Saracens rugby union player, Totoa Auvaa. The ECB concluded that Atkinson was subjected to two separate attacks, but he did not retaliate.ย
For the third Test, England will be taking on New Zealand at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The clash is all set to kick off on June 25th, and both sides will hope to put in a good showing.ย
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What did the ECB say in their statement?
Officially announcing the inclusion of Stokes and Atkinson in the squad, the ECB took centre stage and released a statement making their return official and stating that no blame should be on the players for the incident at the nightclub.ย
โStokes and Atkinson were found to have breached specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket,โ the ECB statement read.ย
โIn addition to not being considered for selection for the second Rothesay Test, they have both been given a written warning as to their conduct. It was also concluded that no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub,โ the statement added.
England Menโs third Test squad:
Ben Stokes ยฉ, 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
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