England captain Ben Stokes has publicly apologised to his teammates for the disruption caused by the off-field controversy that saw him and fast bowler Gus Atkinson stood down for the second Test against New Zealand, acknowledging that the episode affected the squad well beyond himself. Stokes made the admission ahead of the decisive third Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, where he returns to lead a side now level at 1-1 in the series.

What the controversy involved

Stokes and Atkinson were both absent from the second Test after being stood down pending an investigation into an alleged breach of the team's midnight curfew, which followed England's victory in the series opener. A subsequent disciplinary hearing cleared both players of any violent conduct but found they had breached contractual obligations. Both received written warnings.

Stokes addresses the dressing room

'That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain,' Stokes told reporters ahead of the match. He stressed that addressing the dressing room on his return was not optional — it was a matter of leadership accountability. The England skipper was candid about the ripple effect the episode had across the squad, singling out the players who made their Test debuts during his absence.

'It affected Joe, it affected the squad, it affects the people outside the playing environment. It no doubt had an effect on the lads who were making their debut. That should have been all about them, but unfortunately a situation out of their control took precedence over their big day of making their debut for England in Test cricket,' he said.

Debutants and England's heavy defeat

With Stokes absent, Joe Root stepped in as captain for a much-changed England line-up that included debutants Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, and James Rew. The reshaped side suffered a heavy 253-run defeat, allowing New Zealand to level the series at 1-1. Stokes acknowledged that the timing of the controversy overshadowed what should have been a milestone occasion for those three players.

On leadership and taking responsibility

Stokes was unflinching in his assessment of what captaincy demands in moments of personal failure. 'It would be stupid and naive for me not to acknowledge that and address that. It's all fine and well everything being fine and dandy when it's going well, but you need to take responsibility for things as well. If that's you that needs to take that responsibility, you need to be big enough and man enough to be able to take that upon your shoulders, look everyone in the eye, and apologise how you need to apologise. That's what I did,' he said.

Stokes and McCullum: No rift

The controversy also prompted speculation about the state of Stokes' relationship with England head coach Brendon McCullum. Both men have firmly rejected suggestions of any falling-out. 'Me and Brendon were talking pretty much every day in the initial period,' Stokes said, adding that the experience may ultimately strengthen their partnership. 'Maybe in the future we'll look back on this and go, this did bring us tighter. This rift, this drifting apart, we certainly haven't drifted.'

With the series now at a winner-takes-all stage, Stokes made clear that the focus for both himself and Atkinson is squarely on the cricket. 'It's 1-1 in the series, we've got one game left, and the importance of the result of this game is the one thing we need to concentrate on,' he concluded.