Brendon McCullum admits he is “worried” about Ben Stokes’s state of mind after the England captain was dropped for this week’s second Test against New Zealand for breaking the side’s midnight curfew. Fast bowler Gus Atkinson has also been stood down.
According to the head coach, Stokes and Atkinson stayed out past the team-agreed cut-off following last week’s win at Lord’s. During the early-hours incident, the squad’s security liaison officer was struck by a Saracens rugby player and needed medical attention. McCullum learnt of the episode on Monday morning and, speaking at The Oval, ran through the emotions he felt. First came “bewildered, on to angry, on to kind of gutted” – feelings sharpened by the fact Stokes helped create the curfew in the first place.
Both players are unavailable while separate investigations by the ECB and the independent Cricket Regulator continue. Stokes has returned to Durham training and is expected to face Derbyshire in the Championship on Friday, although his involvement in the third Test at Trent Bridge remains uncertain.
Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket, was notably terse last week and did not rule out removing Stokes from the captaincy. McCullum echoed the need for due process yet preferred to focus on welfare. “To hear about this was incredibly gutting,” he said. “When you’re in roles like this you have to start trying to separate the action from the man.
“Very quickly, though, talking to Ben in particular, and also Gus, my overall emotion turned to worry and concern for Ben in particular. Since then, it has been about how we support these guys, whilst not overlooking the fact they have not lived up to the standards we have set for ourselves.
“You can’t walk past that, and we’ll deal with that in time and through a process. For me, it’s very much about how we support these guys through the next stage, in particular Ben. That is very much where my mind is at, my worry for him.”
Pressed on whether Stokes might retain the captaincy, McCullum was deliberately cautious. “We need to go through a process,” he said. “I look at the time, the last four years I’ve worked intimately with Ben. I’ve seen Ben be an unbelievable captain. I’ve seen him at his absolute best as a captain, his best as a player.
“He’s helped shape this environment over the last four years. He’s had some incredible success doing it and I feel very lucky that during that time we have worked so closely together. What will be will be down the line. Those decisions are not for now.”
McCullum finished on a personal note. “The concern is making sure Ben is fine. We need to make sure we look after him, rally around him, and in time we’ll get on to those sorts of decisions. For me I’m just making sure I’m checking in with him. That’s where things sit at the moment.”
Analysis
England’s on-field momentum, built on a six-wicket win at Lord’s, now bumps into an off-field distraction. Stokes’s absence strips both batting strength and, just as crucially, tactical nous. Zak Crawley, standing in as skipper, faces a stern examination of field placements and bowling changes against opponents who know English conditions well.
For the ECB, the episode tests a balance between maintaining standards and acknowledging human fallibility. Curfews are common on tour, yet enforcement usually stays private. Here the involvement of medical staff and a formal regulator means transparency is unavoidable.
The cricket regulator’s brief is clear: gather statements, cross-check timelines, recommend sanctions where necessary. Any punishment has to square with precedent: Alex Hales’s 2017 Bristol suspension and Ollie Robinson’s historical-tweet ban are the usual benchmarks. Crucially, neither of those players was captain at the time.
Short term, Durham will monitor Stokes’s workload. County cricket offers game time but also a calmer environment. Long term, England have T20 World Cup selection meetings next month and an Ashes tour to plan. Stokes remains central to both. How he navigates the coming fortnight, on and off the field, will shape how soon – or whether – he returns to England’s leadership.
