Ben Stokes Withdrawn From Durham's Game Vs Northamptonshire On ECB Request

England Test skipper Ben Stokes was on Sunday, June 21, withdrawn from Durham’s team for the County Championship Division Two game against Northamptonshire on England Cricket Board’s request, a week after he and Gus Atkinson faced disciplinary action.

But according to a report in Sky Sports, the investigation into the nightclub incident involving Stokes and Atkinson isn’t yet complete.

After England’s first-Test victory over New Zealand at Lord’s, Stokes and Atkinson broke the team’s midnight curfew in the early hours of Monday and were present during an incident involving an England security staff member and a Saracens player, according to reports.

ℹ️ Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from the remainder of Durham’s County Championship match against

Northamptonshire at the request of the ECB.

Colin Ackermann will replace Stokes in the Durham 11.#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/ykICRxlymz

— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) June 21, 2026

Stokes has since returned to action for his county team, Durham and on Saturday, June 20, came close to a hundred, falling just five runs short of the milestone.

The ECB had the authority to withdraw Stokes and Atkinson from county games at any point, but both cricketers were still permitted to take part. Pre-Test preparations for what is shaping up to be a decisive clash against New Zealand are all set to start on Tuesday.

Veteran South Africa allrounder Colin Ackermann has replaced Stokes in the XI.

“That formal investigation isn’t yet complete, but it is the clearest signal that both will return at Trent Bridge. If that is the case, if Stokes can play, there is no reason why he should not captain, so he will come back as captain, one assumes,” former England cricketer Michael Atherton said.

“And if Ollie Robinson is fit and Jamie Smith is good to go after the birth of his kid, we could have five changes and go back to the team that England played and won at Lord’s after this interim period of utter chaos,” Atherton added.