Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson exonerated after nightclub incident as regulator says 'insufficient evidence' of ECB breach
Updated 22/06/2026 at 15:15 GMT+1
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The Cricket Regulator says they have found "insufficient evidence" of a breach of ECB regulations in their investigation into the nightclub incident involving England players Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson.
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The pair were dropped from the England team that played against New Zealand in the second Test of the series at the Oval.
They received a written warning for allegedly breaching a team curfew at a Chelsea nightclub.
But they will face no further punishment after The Cricket Regulator revealed the findings of its investigation.
In a statement, it said: "The Cricket Regulator has concluded its investigation into the events of 7-8 June involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson.
"The Cricket Regulator’s role is to determine whether any participant or player has breached any applicable ECB Cricket Regulations.
"The investigation followed multiple lines of enquiry to gather and assess evidence in relation to the events in question.
"Having carefully reviewed all currently available information, the Cricket Regulator has determined that there is insufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach occurred.
"Accordingly, no further action will be taken against either player. The Cricket Regulator would like to thank all those involved for their cooperation throughout the investigation."
Stokes and Atkinson will now both be available for selection for the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, with the former set to return as captain.
Joe Root deputised as captain in Stokes' absence as England were convincingly beaten by 253 runs in the second Test.
Stokes played for Durham in the County Championship during his international absence, hitting 95 with the bat against Northamptonshire.
"Ben will be back and he’ll be captain. Everyone’s excited about that," England head coach Brendon McCullum said.
"I’ve been speaking to Ben every day since the incident. I’m not going to divulge our conversations because they are confidential. But I look forward to seeing him in a few days.
"There’s mutual respect there. I anticipate we’ll be able to work together really well and I’m sure both of us still have the same vision for this team.
"Occasionally there are going to be mistakes made and you can’t walk past when standards have slipped or mistakes have been made. You address it and you try to move on."
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He added: "We’ve worked together intimately for four years, we’ve achieved some cool things and we’ve let ourselves down in other things.
"We have robust conversations all the way through and that’s to be expected when you’re in positions of leadership. There’s mutual respect there.
"I’ve been very clear and very supportive of Ben throughout and particularly this week as well.
"I anticipate we’ll be able to work together really well with the week coming and I’m sure both of us still have that same vision for this cricket team."
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