3 min readJun 24, 2026 11:11 PM IST England Test captain Ben Stokes has said he apologised to his teammates after being dropped for the second Test for disciplinary reasons. England ultimately lost to New Zealand, and a returning Stokes admitted he had been “man enough” to own up to his mistake, while also acknowledging this is the “highest amount of pressure” he and head coach Brendon McCullum have faced as captain and head coach. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were dropped from the second Test against New Zealand after breaking a midnight curfew during an incident at a London nightclub, following England’s series-opening win at Lord’s. In their absence, a stand-in England side led by Joe Root suffered a 253-run thrashing at The Oval, as New Zealand levelled the series at 1-1 heading into the Nottingham finale at Trent Bridge, which begins on Thursday. When asked if he had apologised to his teammates, Stokes said: “Yeah, of course. That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain. You …