England captain Ben Stokes has revealed he apologised to his team-mates ahead of his return for the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Stokes and fellow fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test while an investigation examined an alleged breach of the team's curfew following England's series-opening victory. Although both players were cleared of any violent conduct, they received written warnings for breaching contractual obligations.
Reflecting on the incident, Stokes admitted the situation affected more than just himself. The England skipper said he felt compelled to apologise, particularly because the controversy overshadowed the Test debuts of several young players and placed additional responsibility on stand-in captain Joe Root.
Stokes stressed that leadership is about accepting responsibility during difficult moments, not only when things are going well, and said facing his team-mates and apologising was the right thing to do as captain.
