Ben Stokes will play for Durham against Northamptonshire in the County Championship as he sits out of England’s ongoing second Test against New Zealand after being involved in an incident in a nightclub.

Full-time Test captain Stokes and Gus Atkinson were dropped from the England playing XI, with Joe Root taking over leadership responsibilities on an interim basis.

The pair violated a midnight curfew instituted by the England team management, and the night ended with a member of England’s security staff being reportedly struck by a rugby player from English club Saracens in a nightclub, where Stokes was present.

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Stokes’ future as a captain and international player has been brought into question since the incident, and coach Brendon McCullum said that his initial bewilderment anger upon learning of Stokes misdemeanour had given way to “worry and concern.”

There is no clarity yet about whether Stokes will return for the third Test of the series, or for the three-match series against Pakistan later in the summer.

Published on Jun 18, 2026