England announce squad for 2nd Test against NZ, Ben Stokes out; Joe Root appointed captain

England have announced their squad for second Test against New Zealand at the Oval, finally ending suspense over Ben Stokes. It has been confirmed that England's regular Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the Oval Test following a late-night incident at a London nightclub.

Ben Stokes ruled out of ENG vs NZ 2nd Test

Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson were both omitted from the selection after breaking the team’s midnight curfew early Monday morning. The two players were present during an altercation in which a member of England's security staff was struck by Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa.

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In the wake of this disciplinary action, Joe Root has been named interim captain. Although Harry Brook currently serves as England's vice-captain, he was deemed unsuitable for the leadership role due to his own previous off-field controversy, having been punched by a bouncer outside a nightclub in Wellington last October.

Root’s return to the captaincy is a significant development, as the 35-year-old previously led the side in a record 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022. England's all-time leading run-scorer had stepped down following a difficult stretch of results, eventually being succeeded by his close friend, Stokes.

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To bolster the team for the upcoming match, pace bowler Jofra Archer and batter Jordan Cox have been added to the squad that secured a dominant 115-run victory in the first Test at Lord’s.

England squad for 2nd Test against New Zealand:

Joe Root (Yorkshire) - Captain, Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jordan Cox (Essex), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Matthew Fisher (Surrey), Emilio Gay (Durham), James Rew (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)