Cricket-Absent England captain Stokes shines for Durham

England's chances of victory in the second test against New Zealand have been impacted by the absence of captain Ben Stokes, who is under investigation by the ECB.

England's slide towards ​likely defeat by ​New Zealand in ‌the second ​test happened as absent captain Ben Stokes was scoring 95 ‌for his county side Durham on Saturday. Stokes, England's test captain since 2022, was left out of the side ‌pending an ECB investigation into an incident in ‌a London nightclub after the first-test victory at Lord's.

The all-rounder has been missed by England at The Oval where they ⁠ended ​day four ⁠on 182-5 chasing what would be a record 463. No decision has ⁠been announced as to whether Stokes, 35, will return, ​as captain or just a member of the ⁠team, for the third test at Trent Bridge next week.

The ⁠ECB ​are reported to be waiting for a report from the Cricket Regulator into Stokes and fast ⁠bowler Gus Atkinson who broke the team curfew after ⁠the 115-run ⁠win in the opener. Joe Root has deputised as skipper in the absence of ‌Stokes.