Stokes and Atkinson are under investigation for breaking England team's curfew.
England head coach Brendon McCullum has broken his silence on the ongoing controversy involving all-rounder and England Test captain Ben Stokes after he, along with pacer Gus Atkinson, was dropped from the playing XI for the upcoming second Test against New Zealand.
This came after Stokes and Atkinson were being investigated by the ECB for breaking a team-imposed midnight curfew while celebrating England’s victory in the opening Test at Lord’s. During their celebration, they got involved in an altercation with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa that left ECB security personnel needing to have stitches.
It was claimed that Auvaa punched Atkinson and struck an ECB security guard instead. Stokes' future was called into question by the consequences, with some publications speculating that he would retire from international cricket or resign as captain.
Stokes temporarily joined the Durham team for the county season, but no decisions were made until Monday, June 15. Speaking on Monday, McCullum acknowledged that when he first heard about the incident, he was taken aback.
“When I first found out about it, I was slightly bewildered, if I’m being honest. Then you go through a range of emotions. You go from being bewildered to angry to kind of gutted. But very quickly, my overall emotion turned to worry and concern for Ben in particular.
Since then, it has been about how we support these guys while not overlooking the fact that they have not lived up to the standards we have set for ourselves. For me, it’s very much about how we support these guys through the next stage, in particular Ben. That is very much where my mind is at, my worry for him,” McCullum stated as per PA Media.
McCullum insisted that any leadership decisions could wait and consistently declined to address whether Stokes should remain captain.
“What will be will be, down the line. Those decisions are not for now. The concern is making sure Ben is fine. We need to make sure we look after him and rally around him, and in time we’ll get on to those sorts of decisions. I’m worried about Ben. That’s it. I’ll leave it at that,” McCullum stated.
The second Test will begin on June 17 at the Oval with England leading the three-match Test series 1-0.