Ben Stokes dropped, Joe Root returns as Test captain after England cricket took place at the nightclub

England captain Ben Stokes will miss the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval after a nightclub incident, with Joe Root expected to lead the side as interim captain.Stokes was left out of the squad along with fast bowler Gus Atkinson after the pair breached the team’s midnight curfew in the early hours of Monday.The England & Wales Cricket Board said Stokes and Atkinson were “not available for selection”.Both players were present at the nightclub when a member of England’s security staff was hit by Saracens rugby player Toto Auvao.Although Harry Brook is England’s vice-captain, he was not selected to lead the team for the match.Brook was involved in an incident last year when he was punched by a bouncer outside a Wellington nightclub on the eve of the ODI against New Zealand.Root will therefore return to captaincy for the first time since stepping down from the role in 2022. The former skipper led England in a record 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022.The 35-year-old remains England’s leading run-scorer in Test cricket. He stepped down as captain after England had managed one win in 17 Tests and was succeeded by Stokes.England also added fast bowler Jofra Archer and batsman Jordan Cox to the squad that won the opening Test against New Zealand by 115 runs at Lord’s.The second Test against New Zealand begins at The Oval on June 17.Meanwhile, some reports suggested that England’s Ben Stokes may even retire from cricket following the nightclub controversy involving him and teammate Gus Atkinson.The development comes after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launched an investigation into the Stokes and Atkinson nightclub incident in the early hours of Monday, hours after England’s win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s.England Test Team: Joe Root (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue.