The questions facing England after awful fortnight

Figure caption, Highlights: NZ level series after Henry blows away England on day five Cricket Correspondent at The OvalPublished26 minutes agoAt the end of an extraordinary fortnight, English cricket is dealing with the consequences of another controversy. Captain Ben Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson will face no further action following an incident that occurred in a London nightclub, and have returned to the squad for the third Test against New Zealand starting on Thursday at Trent Bridge. The fallout will hang over the decider in Nottingham, with England desperate for a series win following their awful Ashes tour. Stokes and Atkinson may have been cleared, but questions remain over the entire England set-up. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Brendon McCullum was appointed England head coach in May 2022, a month after Ben Stokes was named England Test captain Captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum were all smiles after England won the first Test at Lord's, apparently on the same page after a bruising Ashes winter. In the run-up to the home summer, both men denied Australia had damaged their relationship. Assessing where they are after this episode is mainly done through the words of McCullum. The New Zealander has spoken and Stokes is yet to. Two days before the second Test, for which Stokes was absent, McCullum repeatedly spoke of his "worry" and "concern" for the all-rounder. However, when Stokes returned to play for his county, Durham chief executive Tim Bostock said he was "bemused" by McCullum's take. Two things can be true at the same time. McCullum said he has been in daily contact with Stokes, and could have been given cause for concern. Meanwhile, the 35-year-old could have felt relaxed with Durham, away from everything going on with England. Before the Test, McCullum would not be drawn on Stokes' future as a player or captain. He may have genuinely not known, and probably had a right to be frustrated it was Stokes, of all people, who had allowed himself to be caught up in a nightclub incident. Following a crushing defeat in the second Test, McCullum confirmed Stokes' return and said: "I anticipate we'll be able to work together really well in the week coming and I'm sure that both of us have that same vision for this cricket team." Stokes will speak to the media on Wednesday, while England train in Nottingham for the first time on Tuesday. There will be plenty of interested observers. Stokes' mistrust of those who were a "suit" was fostered in the aftermath of the incident outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 that almost cost him his career. He felt let down by the hierarchy and made his feelings known after his starring role in the 2019 World Cup final. Stokes was asked for a selfie by "someone who wears a suit". His response is unprintable. Neither England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould nor chair Richard Thompson have spoken publicly on this latest episode. The official message from the ECB is that Stokes was not asked to resign. However, speaking on the BBC's Today at the Test, former England captain Michael Vaughan said: "There were people briefing they did not want Ben Stokes to come back as England captain. He will know that." Ex-England skipper Alastair Cook added: "Where is the actual leadership? Why has McCullum had to deal with it? People who are making decisions are hiding away from the media." Stokes, one of the greatest to ever play for England, is in a strong position. English cricket could find another chair, chief executive, director of cricket or coach, but it will not find another Stokes. It would be a brave individual who tries to take him on. Figure caption, 'Some people don't want Stokes to return as England captain' - Vaughan A midnight curfew was enforced on the England team after the Ashes tour was dogged by off-field issues. When the ECB first released details of the Stokes-Atkinson episode, the governing body said the pair had breached the curfew. It was confirmed the curfew was still in place despite the completion of the first Test and the second being more than a week away. However, four days later, England director of cricket Rob Key revealed Atkinson did not know the curfew was in force, leading to the question of who knew what, and how the curfew was communicated. In the aftermath of the second Test, McCullum said there was an "ambiguity" over the terms of the curfew and that it had not been put in writing. The coach said standards would be "better documented". There are different ways to look at this. On one hand, has an England environment often accused of being sloppy once again overlooked the details? But do grown men - professional athletes - really need their bedtime to be put in writing? Plenty outside the team knew about the curfew, so how had the players managed to avoid hearing about it? After all that happened in Australia, should the players not be taking it upon themselves to quell t

The questions facing England after awful fortnight

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