England cricket captain Ben Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson have been dropped from the squad for the second Test against New Zealand following an incident at a nightclub in London. Both players breached the team’s midnight curfew during a night out at the Rex Rooms in Chelsea in the early hours of Monday.

The altercation reportedly involved Atkinson and a Saracens Academy rugby player who quarreled over seating in the venue's VIP area around 1 a.m. The clash led to an ECB security guard sustaining injuries that required stitches. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Stokes, 35, and Atkinson, 28, will not be available for selection while investigations into the incident are ongoing. The second Test is scheduled to begin Wednesday at the Kia Oval.

Joe Root, who is also 35, is set to assume the captaincy in Stokes’ absence. Sources indicated that earlier in the evening, Stokes was seen at the White Horse pub in Southwest London drinking rum and coke alongside other cricket and rugby figures, including Root and England rugby captain Maro Itoje, before moving on to the Rex Rooms. The pair reportedly violated the midnight curfew introduced by the ECB last winter, designed to reduce alcohol-related issues affecting the team during Stokes’ tenure as captain.

Stokes has previous history with nightlife-related incidents, including involvement in a fight outside a Bristol club in 2017. The ECB has not provided further details on disciplinary measures but emphasized the matter remains under investigation. The decision to exclude both players has prompted discussions about player conduct and the effectiveness of team regulations ahead of a key international series.