Ben Stokes Withdrawn from Durham Game by ECB Amid Investigation
ECB Investigation and Impact on England Cricket
Stokes Withdrawn from County Championship Match
June 21 (Reuters) - Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from the remainder of Durham's county championship match against Northamptonshire at the request of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Durham said on Sunday, in a possible indicator of an England return.
Incident Leading to ECB Investigation
Stokes, England's test captain since 2022, was left out of the side pending an ECB investigation into an incident at a London nightclub following the first-test victory over New Zealand at Lord's.
Stokes' Performance Before Withdrawal
The 35-year-old impressed for Durham, scoring 95 off 118 balls against Northamptonshire.
England's Current Test Series Situation
England are heading towards a likely defeat in the second test at The Oval, ending day four on 182-5 while chasing what would be a record 463.
Joe Root's Captaincy and Milestone
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.
ECB's Ongoing Investigation and Other Players Involved
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.
Gus Atkinson's Withdrawal
The BBC reported on Sunday that Atkinson has also been withdrawn from his county championship fixture.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.
ECB's Response and Upcoming Fixtures
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.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
