NOTTINGHAM: England captain Ben Stokes has said he apologised for the nightclub incident that led to him breaking team curfew ahead of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Speaking before Thursday’s series decider, Stokes accepted responsibility and said the matter had affected more than just himself.
“Of course I apologised,” Stokes told reporters. “That was one of the first things I had to do as captain.”
Captain accepts responsibility
Stokes said the incident affected stand-in captain Joe Root, the England squad and people outside the playing environment.
He also acknowledged that the controversy overshadowed the Test debuts of Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker and James Rew.
“That should have been all about them,” he said, adding that the debutants deserved the focus on one of the biggest days of their careers.
Stokes said leadership required accountability when things went wrong and added that he had looked those affected “in the eye” and apologised.
Focus turns to series
The England skipper also praised Root for stepping back into the captaincy, describing his response as a reflection of his character.
Stokes said his attention was now fully on the deciding Test, with the series level at 1-1.
“The focus now is on winning the series,” he said.
