Ben Stokes is ready to return as England captain for the third and final Test against Recent Zealand, which begins on Thursday, June 25, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. After England’s victory in the primary Test, Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson were involved in an incident at a London nightclub through the early hours of the morning.
Following an investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board, each players were cleared of any involvement within the violence. Nonetheless, they were punished for violating team rules. Stokes received a written warning and was dropped for the second Test, where Joe Root captained the side in his absence.
The all-rounder is now back to guide England within the series finale. England announced their playing XI on Thursday, June 23, with each Stokes and Atkinson returning after missing the second Test. Jamie Smith replaced James Rew because the wicketkeeper-batter, while Shoaib Bashir got here into the side instead of Sonny Baker.
Meanwhile, each Jordan Cox and Matthew Fisher were neglected of the playing XI.
So good to have you ever back with us @BenStokes38 ❤️
Here’s our XI for the third and final Test match of the series at Trent Bridge 📋
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 23, 2026
England Playing XI for third Test – Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Ben Stokes (C), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
Ben Stokes will look to guide England to a series win
Heading into the Trent Bridge Test, the three-match series is evenly poised at 1-1. England secured the primary Test at Lord’s, defeating Recent Zealand by 115 runs. Nonetheless, the visitors hit back strongly within the second Test at The Oval, where England suffered a heavy 253-run defeat without captain Ben Stokes.
Back for the decisive Test, Stokes will likely be wanting to move on from the controversy and help England clinch the series. It’ll even be a crucial opportunity for him to make an impact after combating each bat and ball in the primary Test despite the win. He scored only 12 and 0 in his two innings at Lord’s.
With the ball, Stokes delivered just seven overs across each innings and managed just one wicket.
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