Reports: Ben Stokes considering retirement from international cricket after nightclub melee

According to the English outlet The Daily Mail, England captain Ben Stokes is considering his future in international cricket following the nightclub brawl, which involved him along with teammate Gus Atkinson and a Saracens Rugby player, who was later identified as Totoa Auvaa.

Happening in the wake of England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand at Lord’s, the all-rounder, along with Atkinson, broke the team curfew in the early hours of Monday morning, after which they had a kerfuffle with the Saracens player in a nightclub in Chelsea. However, both players left the brawl unhurt, with reports claiming that the rugby player’s punch struck ECB’s security personnel. 

Based on the reports, Stokes is currently at his home in the northeast of England, weighing his options before the second Test match against the Black Caps commences on Wednesday, June 17. 

“I don’t know if even he knows yet what he wants to do,” a source said to The Daily Mail Sport. 

Even without the retirement, there is a very likely chance that Stokes will not feature in the remainder of the Test series against New Zealand and could be handed a two-match ban by the ECB. Atkinson, on the other hand, could be given a one-match ban based on the reports from the aforementioned source. 

Should Stokes not feature in the rest of the matches, the captaincy would fall on the shoulders of England’s white-ball leader Harry Brook. The Yorkshireman has made a good start to his tenure as ODI and T20I skipper, guiding the Three Lions to the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, the right-handed batter was himself involved in a nightclub controversy in New Zealand last year, where he had a confrontation with a bouncer, resulting in him getting a GBP 30,000 fine. 

It is worth mentioning that Stokes’ place in the starting XI was already a matter of debate based on his recent underwhelming form. The left-handed batter scored 12 and 0 in the two innings of the Lord’s Test and took just one wicket with the ball.