NEW DELHI: England captain Ben Stokes is set to return for the third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham after missing the second match, which ended in a crushing 253-run defeat for England at The Oval. Head coach Brendon McCullum confirmed that Stokes will resume captaincy despite an ongoing disciplinary investigation into a breach of team rules earlier this month.Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson had been left out of the second Test after violating the team’s curfew following England’s victory in the series opener. During his time away from the national side, Stokes turned out for Durham and impressed with a quickfire 95 against Northamptonshire. Both he and Atkinson were later withdrawn from their county games, fuelling speculation of a return.Confirming the skipper’s comeback, McCullum said: “Ben will be back. He’ll be back and he’ll be captain.”“I think everyone is excited about that, especially after seeing him hit some form for Durham.”“I’ve been speaking to Ben every single day since we had the incident and my assessment was that I was worried about him. To see him go out there and play some cricket and look like he was enjoying himself is really positive.“I’m not going to divulge our conversations because they are confidential but it’s great to see him back playing and I look forward to seeing him in a couple of days.”
Relationship questions dismissed
Recent reports suggested tensions had developed between McCullum and Stokes following England’s Ashes defeat and the disciplinary issue. However, the coach insisted their relationship remained strong.“We’ve worked together intimately for four years, we’ve achieved some cool things and we’ve let ourselves down in other things.“We have robust conversations all the way through and that’s to be expected when you’re in positions of leadership. There’s mutual respect there.”McCullum also stressed that mistakes cannot be ignored, saying: “It’s really important to separate the actions from the man… You address it and you try to move on.”Stokes’s return could provide England with a timely boost as they look to bounce back in the series decider.
