NOTTINGHAM: England captain Ben Stokes has apologized for the nightclub incident ahead of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, which starts tomorrow.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the Test, Stokes admitted that breaking curfew had affected a lot of people, including stand-in captain Joe Root.
“Of course [I apologised],” Stokes told reporters.
“That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain. You look at the situation, and it affects more than just myself. It affects a lot of people; it affected Joe, the squad, the people outside the playing environment,” he explained.
The returning skipper mentioned the players — Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker, and James Rew— who made their debuts in challenging circumstances
“It no doubt had an effect on lads who were making their debut. That should have been all about them, but unfortunately a situation outside of their control took precedence over their big days, making their debuts for England in Test cricket.”
He admitted taking responsibility as captain and being courageous in accepting the impact the incident had on the team.
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“It would be stupid and naive of me not to acknowledge and address that. It’s something you do have to do, as someone who has responsibility of being a leader in a group. It’s all fine and well everything being fine and dandy when it’s all going well, but you need to take responsibility for things as well,” the Three Lions captain said.
“You need to be big enough and man enough to take that upon your shoulders, and look everyone who it has affected in the eye and apologise the way you need to apologise. That is something that I did.”
The 35-year-old also apologized to Root, who captained in the absence of Stokes.
“Joe Root and I have known each other since we were kids. He got put into a situation that he never thought would be bestowed upon him again, having walked away from the captaincy.
“It showed that not only is he one of the greats of the game in terms of on the field, but it shows a lot about his character and seeing him stand up and take that responsibility on last week.”
The all-rounder said his main goal now is to win the series and expressed confidence in his side’s ability to turn things around.
“Right now my focus is on the team, on the series, we’re 1-1 in a three-match series. This week is massive for this team regardless of what’s gone on. We’ve always had some very good series against New Zealand we’re back at Trent Bridge where we’ve done some special things,” Stokes concluded.
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