Ben Stokes likely to retire post nightclub controversy:Situation escalates to football world as Harry Kane takes dig at England captain

England cricket team captain Ben Stokes may step down from the Test team captaincy and could also announce his retirement from international cricket. This claim has been made in a report by British media outlet TalkSPORT. The notable development comes after a nightclub dispute that occurred early Monday morning, immediately following England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the Lord’s Test. It’s worth noting that the England pacer Gus Atkinson was also involved in this dispute, along with captain Ben Stokes. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched an official investigation against both players on charges of breaking team protocol. Stokes will not wait for the board’s action, may take his own decision George Dobell, Senior Correspondent for the cricket website ‘The Cricketer’, told talkSPORT that Stokes is considering stepping down himself rather than waiting for the disciplinary committee’s decision. Dobell said, ‘From all the information I’m getting, I fear that Stokes will take action himself before the ECB does. It’s very sad to say, but I’m hearing that he might resign from the captaincy and possibly retire from cricket.’ Both players will be out of the second Test against New Zealand After the dispute, the ECB issued a statement saying, ‘Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were present at a nightclub in the early hours of Monday, where the incident occurred. We are gathering more information related to the matter. The team for the second Test will be announced soon.’ The announcement of England’s squad for the second Test against New Zealand, starting on June 17 at The Oval, is being delayed. The board is currently awaiting Ben Stokes’ decision. However, it has become clear that both Stokes and Atkinson will not be part of the remaining matches of this Test series against New Zealand. Controversy erupted just hours after Lord’s Test victory This incident came to light after England defeated New Zealand by 115 runs in the first Test on Sunday. On the final day of the match, Gus Atkinson took 5 wickets for 30 runs and played a major role in the victory, while Stokes also got one wicket. To celebrate this magnificent victory, the players had gone out at night, where they argued with players from a rugby club. England football player pokes fun at Ben Stokes’ situation England football captain Harry Kane seems to have added fuel to the fire Ben Stokes has caused in the England Test cricket team. Despite being busy preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with England in the United States of America, Kane’s cricket post, allegedly related to the England Test captain Ben Stokes controversy, has left fans buzzing. Poking fun at Stokes’ situation, Kane posted on X: “Always ready if needed, @englandcricket @RCBTweets”. His post has been labelled as a swipe at the Ben Stokes situation by many fans on social media. Violation of ‘Midnight Curfew’ rules proved costly The off-field behaviour of England players has been a headache for the ECB for some time now. Recently, during the Ashes tour against Australia, there was heavy criticism over players partying late into the night and disciplinary issues related to alcohol. Following this, the ECB had re-implemented the ‘Midnight Curfew’ (a rule not to stay out after midnight) for the team. The board was displeased by Stokes and Atkinson breaking this strict protocol.