England’s Test squad had an oddly low-key feel when it gathered in Nottingham on Monday. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, both pulled from the second Test at the Kia Oval after breaching an informal midnight curfew, simply walked back into the dressing room and started going through their routines. No drama, no fuss – at least on the surface.
The all-rounder and the fast bowler were cleared last week by separate ECB and Cricket Regulator enquiries into the late-night visit to a Chelsea nightclub that followed the opening Test. Atkinson was also the victim of an unprovoked assault by Saracens flanker Totoa Auvaa during the same outing. England went on to lose the Oval match by 253 runs, leaving this week’s third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge as a straight shoot-out for the series.
For Stokes, the more awkward issue has not been the investigation itself but the swirl of stories suggesting a breakdown in his relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum – talk that gathered pace after the winter’s 4-1 Ashes defeat. On Tuesday afternoon the pair shared a long hug near the nets, a public gesture followed by a private conversation earlier in the day that ran, McCullum said, “for an hour and a bit”.
“He’s enthusiastic about the week,” McCullum told reporters. “Obviously from our [McCullum and Stokes] point of view, it’s nice to have the band back together.”
The New Zealander looked slightly bemused when asked to spell out the state of play between the two senior figures. “I said ‘do you know where this has come from, the conversations around our relationship over the last six months?’ He said ‘no, I have no idea’. I said to him, ‘as far I’m concerned, I consider you a good friend’.”
McCullum chose not to reveal every detail. “Private conversations remain private, and there’s an element of confidentiality there in our relationship,” he added, before stressing the working partnership remains sound. “We’re crystal clear on the direction we want this team to take. There are going to be times when we discuss things and debate things. We’ve said all the way along we’ve always ended up making decisions together and one will have to concede at times, and vice versa on occasions. We are good friends, we work very together.”
Behind the scenes the two men did take slightly different positions during the Ashes – Stokes favouring the break-neck aggression that defined England’s early Bazball period, McCullum pushing for a touch more pragmatism. People close to the squad insist that was no more than healthy professional debate, yet the winter defeat provided ammunition for anyone looking to spot cracks.
Stokes, for his part, has been irritated by how quickly news of the curfew breach leaked and by what he sees as an over-reaction from the board. Friends say he even mulled retiring altogether during the fallout, although that option was dismissed almost as soon as it was voiced. A line has now been drawn, but relationships at the administrative level may take longer to heal.
Selection for Thursday’s match was settled without fuss. Stokes resumes the captaincy, with Atkinson slotting into the pace attack. The temptation to freshen the batting after the Oval collapse was considered yet resisted; the coaches felt two net sessions were a fairer gauge than one bad Test.
Former England opener Mark Butcher offered a neutral view. “If you binned players every time they broke a curfew you’d struggle to raise a side some weeks,” he joked on county commentary duty. “The bigger point is whether the dressing-room vibe is still as unified as it looked a year ago. The next five days will tell us more than any press conference.”
New Zealand, already buoyed by their Oval win, trained on the adjacent square and kept their distance. Captain Kane Williamson was polite when asked about England’s internal affairs. “Not really our space,” he smiled. “Ben’s a class player, England are stronger with him. That’s about as much as we’ll say.”
As ever at Trent Bridge, the pitch carries the faint promise of runs. If overhead conditions remain cloudy, however, the ball may nip around early. McCullum admitted England have “talked through” the need for flexibility, a subtle nod to the Ashes debate but hardly an admission of compromise.
“It’s been a real privilege for me over the past four years to work in intimate detail and as a partnership alongside Ben,” McCullum concluded. “Hopefully that carries on for a long time yet.”
Whether the outside noise dies down will depend on the result. Lose and the questions about discipline, direction and leadership will resurface. Win and, for a while at least, the conversation shifts back to cricket.
