Ben Stokes Returns for 3rd New Zealand Test as England Restores Him as Captain
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 21
Ben Stokes Returns for 3rd New Zealand Test as England Restores Him as Captain
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 21
Summary
Trent Bridge will see Stokes back as captain in Thursday's third Test, McCullum said, after England left him out of the second match during an investigation into a London nightclub incident.
McCullum said he has spoken to Stokes every day since 8 June and that Rob Key visited him this week, framing the decision as part of managing a player he had been worried about.
Durham's 95 from Stokes on Saturday helped reassure England before he and Gus Atkinson were withdrawn from county duty on Sunday to prepare for the series decider.
England's 253-run defeat at The Oval leveled the series at 1-1, turning Stokes' return into a major boost after McCullum called the episode an unwelcome distraction.