McCullum worried for Stokes, no captaincy backing

Head coach Brendon McCullum refused to be drawn on Ben Stokes' future as England captain but repeatedly spoke of his "worry and concern" for the all-rounder.

Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson have been made unavailable for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval pending an investigation into an incident in a London nightclub last week.

Not only is it the latest controversy to hit this England team, it is another chapter in the storied career of 35-year-old Stokes.

One of England's greatest cricketers of all time, Stokes was cleared of charges of affray following an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017. In 2021, he took a break from cricket to prioritise his mental well-being.

"Our concern is with Ben, our concern is handling that situation, making sure we look after him, that he feels supported by us and in communication with us," said McCullum.

"Those other things will work out down the line."

In celebrating the opening Test victory over New Zealand at Lord's, Stokes and Atkinson broke the England team's midnight curfew. They were present when a member of England security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player.

Both will miss the second Test at The Oval, for which England have made four changes to their XI. Joe Root will deputise for Stokes as captain, with Jofra Archer, Matthew Fisher and uncapped pair Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox coming into the team.

Last week, director of cricket Rob Key said he could see no reason why Stokes would not play for England again, but stopped short of endorsing him as captain.

And, in a sombre media conference at The Oval, McCullum passed up all opportunities to suggest Stokes will once again be England captain.

Instead, the New Zealander reiterated his desire to support and care for Stokes.

Askes about the captaincy, McCullum said: "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, rally around him, and in time we'll get on to those sorts of decisions. For me, I'm just making sure I'm checking in with him. That's where things sit at the moment."

Stokes has already returned to training, with the possibility he could play in the County Championship for Durham against Northamptonshire on Friday.

When it was put to McCullum it is a positive that Stokes is looking to play again, the coach gave a long pause and said: "I'm worried about Ben. That's it. I'll leave it at that.

"I'm in constant communication with him, which is great. I care for him immensely.

"Whatever he is working through at the moment, it will be because Ben thinks that's right for dealing with what he's feeling at the moment. So my concern is Ben.

"He's very entitled to make his own decisions around that stuff and I encourage him to keep doing stuff like that because if it gives him some joy and some satisfaction, then that's good."