Ben Stokes is set to return as England captain for the third and final Test against New Zealand, which begins on Thursday, June 25, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. After England’s victory in the first Test, Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson were involved in an incident at a London nightclub during the early hours of the morning.
Following an investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board, both players were cleared of any involvement in the violence. However, 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 lead England in the series finale. England announced their playing XI on Thursday, June 23, with both Stokes and Atkinson returning after missing the second Test. Jamie Smith replaced James Rew as the wicketkeeper-batter, while Shoaib Bashir came into the side in place of Sonny Baker.
Meanwhile, both Jordan Cox and Matthew Fisher were left out of the playing XI.
So good to have you 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 first Test at Lord’s, defeating New Zealand by 115 runs. However, the visitors hit back strongly in 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 be eager to move on from the controversy and help England clinch the series. It will also be an important opportunity for him to make an impact after struggling with both bat and ball in the first 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 both innings and managed only one wicket.
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