LONDON (AP) — England cricket captain Ben Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson were cleared Monday by the sport’s independent oversight panel relating to a nightclub incident after the team’s win against New Zealand this month.
Stokes and Atkinson already were due to return for the team’s third test match — after being left out of the second against New Zealand — starting Thursday after getting written warnings from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The independent Cricket Regulator said Monday “no further action will be taken against either player.”
Stokes and Atkinson broke a midnight curfew after victory in the first test and were in a London nightclub when a team security official was reportedly struck by a rugby player from English club Saracens.
The Cricket Regulator body, which monitors compliance with the game’s regulations, said it investigated “multiple lines of inquiry to gather and assess evidence.”
“Having carefully reviewed all currently available information, the Cricket Regulator has determined that there is insufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach occurred,” it said in a statement.
Fallout from the incident drew more scrutiny on the culture around the England cricket team after a losing Ashes tour of Australia that was tainted by reports of excessive drinking and being unprofessional.
The test series against New Zealand is tied 1-1 before the decisive third game at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
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