Ben Stokes Issues 1st Statement On Nightclub Brawl Ahead Of 3rd Test vs New Zealand

Ben Stokes Presser - (Source: AFP)On Thursday, June 25, England will lock horns against New Zealand for 3rd and final Test of the three-match series. The series is levelled at 1-1, and the Three Lions have received a massive boost with Ben Stokes’ return for the Trent Bridge match.Notably, Ben Stokes was suspended for the 2nd Test following a nightclub brawl, which led to Joe Root leading the team. Under Stokes’ absence, England suffered a 253-run defeat, which led to Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson’s return for the 3rd and final Test.ECB Clears Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson for the 3rd TestFor the unversed, during the 1st Test, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson violated the ECB’s night curfew and went to a nightclub. The duo engaged in a tussle there, which turned ugly and made headlines.Eventually, the ECB started an investigation, which involved interrogating the two senior England cricketers. Until the case was resolved, the board suspended Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson from the 2nd Test.Also Read: Ben Stokes Back, England Playing XI for New Zealand 3rd Test 2026 AnnouncedIn the latest events, the board has cleared the duo to play for the Three Lions again, as they failed to gather enough evidence to hold them guilty. 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,” remarked the regulator investigating the case as per Sky Sports.Ben Stokes Issues 1st Statement On Nightclub BrawlNow that the matter is resolved, Ben Stokes is back leading the England side. Ahead of the 3rd Test, the star all-rounder attended the pre-match presser, where he issued his 1st statement on the midnight bar brawl.“Pretty Interesting Couple of weeks. I think the main thing about me being back, Gus being back is to focus on the main objective, which obviously is cricket. There is a lot going on, and there is no hiding about that," replied Ben Stokes to the reporter."The big thing about Gus and me coming back is to ensure what is the most important thing. It is 1-1 in the series, and the importance of this result is what we will be concentrating on,” he added.Ben Stokes Reveals Apologising To The England TeamDuring the same presser, Ben Stokes confirmed that he also apologised to the entire team for the inconvinience caused because of his actions after the first Test.“You need to be big enough and man enough to be able to take that upon your shoulders, look everyone in the eye who it’s affected and apologise how you need to apologise. That’s something I did,” Ben Stokes remarked.“I understand there are probably some questions, but right now I’m here as captain of this team, and all I want to do is get the team focused on winning here. We are 1-1 in a three-match series, and this week is massive for the team,” he appealed to the media.Also Read: Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum Relation Strained? England Head Coach Addresses Retirement