England Captain Ben Stokes and Fast Bowler Gus Atkinson Left Out of Squad Following Bar Incident

England captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were dropped from the squad on Wednesday for the second test match against New Zealand following a breach of curfew after the first test match at Lord’s.

Both England players celebrated their victory in the first test match by 115 runs at the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea after midnight on Monday morning, per the New York Times. At the nightclub, a Saracens rugby player, Totoa Auvaa, was reported to have aimed a punch at Atkinson and mistakenly hit a security guard, who required stitches.

Atkinson finished with figures of 5-30 in the fourth innings of the match to ensure England’s victory, while Stokes chipped in with the wicket of New Zealand opener Devon Conway.

Stokes was said to have had a say in the team's midnight curfew following previous controversies in New Zealand and Australia. His breach of the rule prompted the England Cricket Board to take action.

The altercation was confirmed by the English Cricket Board, which decided on the exclusion of both players from the squad for the second test match at The Oval.

Per The Athletic, internal sources suggest Stokes considered retiring from international cricket, but has put his future in the hands of the ECB.

Several changes have been made prior to the second test match on June 17. Highly acclaimed batsman and former captain Joe Root will be taking control for the second match. His previous stint resulted in an infamous record of a six percent win rate in his last 17 tests as captain.

Jofra Archer comes back into the squad after playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, as well as uncapped wicketkeeper and recent Royal Challengers Bengaluru player Jordan Cox.