Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson recalled to England squad after written warnings

England confirmed the pair were sanctioned for failing to meet "the highest standards of conduct" required of international players, although both were ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to a nightclub incident that led to an England security liaison requiring medical treatment.

An ECB investigation concluded that Stokes was "not involved" and "did not witness" the incident, while Atkinson was deemed a victim of "unprovoked attacks" and did not retaliate. The Cricket Regulator separately found there was no case for either player to answer in relation to violent conduct.

However, the ECB ruled that both men had breached contractual obligations linked to professional standards and acting in the best interests of England cricket. As a result, they were both temporarily left out of selection for the second Test at The Oval and formally issued written warnings.

With Stokes and Atkinson reinstated, England have trimmed their squad, releasing Sonny Baker, James Rew and Henry Crocombe. Baker and Rew both made their Test debuts at The Oval in England's heavy 253-run defeat, but struggled to make an impact, with Baker taking 3 for 161 and Rew scoring 24 and 15 while also enduring a difficult outing as wicketkeeper.

Jordan Cox retains his place in the squad, effectively as batting cover and backup wicketkeeper, after initially being called up as Stokes' replacement.

England's squad otherwise remains largely unchanged from the previous Test, with Jamie Smith returning from paternity leave and Ollie Robinson declared fit after knee soreness. Head coach Brendon McCullum suggested the XI could revert to a similar combination used at Lord's, with Stokes returning as all-rounder and Shoaib Bashir likely retained as the frontline spinner.

England head coach Brendon McCullum confirmed Stokes would resume captaincy duties at Trent Bridge, stressing that the leadership group remains aligned despite recent off-field disruption.

"Ben will be back. He'll be back and he'll be captain," McCullum said, adding that the pair had maintained regular communication throughout the incident.

McCullum also revealed England director of cricket Rob Key had visited Stokes during the week, while emphasising that the team's shared objective remained unchanged.

"We've got the same ambition, which is to make English cricket a very good team and to try to achieve results on the field," he said.

Despite acknowledging frustration over repeated off-field issues involving players across recent tours, McCullum insisted his focus was on restoring calm and clarity ahead of the series decider.

"It is quite annoying, to be totally honest, constantly having to deal with these issues," he admitted. "But I would like us to just become a better cricket team. It would be nice if that was our focus."

England head into the third Test level in the series after New Zealand responded to the Lord's defeat with a dominant win at The Oval, where England fielded three debutants and suffered a sharp drop in performance, including eight missed catches in the field.

McCullum expressed hope that the side could reset mentally ahead of the Trent Bridge decider, urging players to focus on execution rather than external distractions.

"That's always a challenge," he said. "But I envisage we get to Trent Bridge and start dreaming the dream of success rather than trying to get too caught up in things we haven't done quite so well.

The full squad for the third Test is: Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.

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