{"id":4964,"date":"2026-06-24T13:36:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T13:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4964"},"modified":"2026-06-24T13:36:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T13:36:48","slug":"stokes-back-on-england-duty-after-disciplinary-controversy-and-says-only-focusing-on-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4964","title":{"rendered":"Stokes back on England duty after disciplinary controversy and says only ‘focusing on this week’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
England\u2019s Ben Stokes gestures during a nets session at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, ahead of the third cricket test match against New Zealand, in Nottingham, England, Wednesday June 24, 2026. (Mike Egerton\/PA via AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

NOTTINGHAM, England \u2014 Ben Stokes refused to give assurances on his long-term future as England cricket captain after his latest disciplinary controversy<\/a> , saying Wednesday his full focus was on the deciding test of the series against New Zealand.<\/p>

Read more Sinner set for exhibition match in London heat wave ahead of Wimbledon<\/a><\/p>\n

Commenting publicly for the first time since being dropped<\/a> pending an investigation into an incident at a nightclub after the first test, Stokes didn\u2019t go into details about the controversy or whether he considered giving up the captaincy \u2014 or indeed retiring.<\/p>\n

The England all-rounder also said he didn\u2019t feel his relationship with coach Brendon McCullum<\/a> had deteriorated as a result of the events of the past two weeks.<\/p>\n

Instead, Stokes played a straight bat at most questions in a 15-minute news conference, explaining he wasn\u2019t looking beyond the third and final test against New Zealand starting Thursday at Trent Bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m focusing on this week,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has been something that has happened and has obviously taken a lot of attention away from the series. But I want to make sure that my focus is where it needs to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, my focus is on the team, on the series. We\u2019re 1-1 in a three-match series. This week is massive for this team, regardless of what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson went on a night out after England\u2019s win at Lord\u2019s in the first test, breaking a midnight curfew set by the team after a humiliating Ashes series when players\u2019 professionalism was questioned<\/a> .<\/p>\n

The two players were in a London nightclub when an England team security official was reportedly struck by a rugby player from English club Saracens.<\/p>\n

The England and Wales Cricket Board said Stokes and Atkinson \u201cbreached specific contractual obligations\u201d and were given a written warning, while the sport\u2019s independent oversight panel \u2014 the Cricket Regulator body \u2014 said after its investigation that there was \u201cinsufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach occurred.\u201d<\/p>

Read more In a rainbow-trimmed robe at the World Cup, a gay Qatari doctor advocates for equal rights<\/a><\/p>\n

The pair were immediately recalled to an England team reeling from a 253-run loss to the Kiwis in a one-sided second test at The Oval.<\/p>\n

Stokes said he found it tough viewing the second test from afar and for putting Joe Root \u2014 his good friend who filled in as interim captain \u2014 in such a position.<\/p>\n

Stokes reportedly apologized to the team on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday, the important thing for me as the captain of the team was making sure that I was letting the lads know that I am back properly as the captain of this team,\u201d he said. \u201cI did need to, obviously, say a few things and acknowledge a few things, to the team and the team only.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I feel like I voiced those quite well to everyone, and I feel like I\u2019m also letting them know where my concentration is, and it is thoroughly on what we need to do this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stokes and McCullum have been close since they took charge in 2022.<\/p>\n

Stokes said that hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe certainly haven\u2019t drifted apart, as has been the big speculation about it,\u201d he said. \u201cI guess when you do go through some difficult times, you do find another side to a relationship maybe that you never thought you could have. You don\u2019t plan on going through something like this together, in a professional environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, me and Brendon were talking pretty much every day … maybe in the future, we look back on this and go, you know, this did bring us tighter, this did bring us closer.\u201d<\/p>\n

While England was slumping to defeat in the second test, Stokes was playing for Durham in the county championship.<\/p>\n

He hit 95 at a time when his form with the bat was under scrutiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d Stokes said with a smile, \u201cbeing on the front pages for the wrong reasons could be good for my cricket.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Landmark legal win compensates pregnant soccer player who lost contract<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP cricket: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/cricket<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ben Stokes has refused to give assurances on his long-term future as England cricket captain after his latest disciplinary controversy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nStokes back on England duty after disciplinary controversy and says only 'focusing on this week' - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4964\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stokes back on England duty after disciplinary controversy and says only 'focusing on this week' - 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