England captain Ben Stokes and in-form Gus Atkinson have both been dropped from the squad for next week's second Test against New Zealand, with former skipper Joe Root answering an SOS to lead the side on an interim basis.
Stokes and Atkinson broke team protocols as they celebrated Sunday's victory over the Black Caps at Lord's, breaching a midnight curfew before a confrontation took place involving Saracens rugby union player Totoa Auvaa.
They remain subject to an internal investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board – and another by the independent Cricket Regulator – but fears that Stokes was ready to stand down as skipper, or even announce his international retirement have cooled.
Instead, the ECB has bought some time by leaving both men out of next Wednesday's clash at the Oval without administering any formal disciplinary action.
