England slumped to a 253-run defeat against New Zealand on the fifth morning of the second Rothesay Test, as the door opened for Ben Stokes to return for next week’s series decider.
Shortly before play began at the Kia Oval, the England and Wales Cricket Board withdrew Stokes and Gus Atkinson from their county sojourns with Durham and Surrey, a heavy indication that the pair will be back on parade at Trent Bridge once the investigation into their curfew-breaching night out is complete.
