FILE PHOTO: Cricket - England v New Zealand - First Test - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 7, 2026 England's Ben Stokes celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo

England expect Stokes return for third test, says McCullum

21 Jun 2026, 10:18 · CNA · Join

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June 21 : England expect Ben Stokes to return to captain the side in the third test against New Zealand, head coach Brendon McCullum said on Sunday, after the all-rounder withdrew from the remainder of Durham’s County Championship match.

Stokes, 35, pulled out of Durham’s game against Northamptonshire at the request of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) amid a pending ECB investigation into an incident at a London nightclub following the first Test at Lord’s.

The England captain, who has led the test side since 2022, missed the second test at The Oval, where New Zealand completed a 253-run victory on day four to level the series 1-1 on Sunday.

"I've been speaking to Ben every day since we had the incident and obviously trying to be supportive, I think it's great that he was able to play cricket this week and get some runs and hopefully rediscover some of their form as well," McCullum told Sky Sports.

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"Yeah at this stage that's what we are planning on. The rest of the squad will be out later on. This afternoon once we tell a few of the lads. But we are anticipating it later on today.

"It is obviously a quick turnaround, so we need to make sure we give guys that consistency message and deliver it appropriately. But we are anticipating that Ben will be back and captain."

The 35-year-old impressed for Durham, scoring 95 off 118 balls against Northamptonshire.

Joe Root has deputised as captain in Stokes' absence and reached the milestone of 14,000 test runs, becoming only the second player to do so after India great Sachin Tendulkar.

The ECB are reported to be awaiting a report from the Cricket Regulator into Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who broke the team curfew after the 115-run win in the opening test.

The BBC reported on Sunday that Atkinson has also been withdrawn from his County Championship fixture. He had taken four wickets for his county side Surrey against Glamorgan.

The ECB did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The third test match between England and New Zealand begins on June 25 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

England expect Stokes return for third test, says McCullum

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