Dropped England captain Stokes to play for Durham

Ben Stokes will make his return to action for Durham after being named in their squad for the County Championship match against Northamptonshire on Friday.

England captain Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson are unavailable for the ongoing second Test against New Zealand pending an investigation into an incident in a London nightclub.

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But both are permitted to play domestic cricket, so Stokes is with his county for the match against Northants at Chester-le-Street and Atkinson is expected to be in the Surrey squad for their trip to Glamorgan.

Stokes and Atkinson broke the England team's midnight curfew while celebrating victory in the first Test at Lord's.

They were present when a member of the England security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player.

Both men are subject to investigations from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Cricket Regulator.

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The pair have been spoken to by the Regulator and the ECB are hoping for a swift resolution.

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The ECB revealed Stokes and Atkinson are under investigation in a statement released on 8 June.

In the immediate aftermath, there were concerns the 35-year-old may retire.

Those fears were allayed when he returned to training with Durham on Saturday and Stokes is now due to play for them for the third time this season.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, two days before England's second Test against New Zealand at The Oval, head coach Brendon McCullum would not be drawn on Stokes' future as an England player or captain.

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The New Zealander did, however, repeatedly mentioned his "worry" and "concern" for Stokes.

In contrast, on Wednesday, Durham head coach Ryan Campbell said Stokes is in "good spirits".

In Stokes' absence, Joe Root is captaining England, a job Root said he is taking on a "game by game" basis.

England's third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge begins next Thursday, so an update on the investigations and availability of Stokes and Atkinson would need to come by Monday at the latest.

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If the pair are made available and are subsequently selected in the England squad for the third Test, they could be withdrawn from their county fixtures and replaced by other players.

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