London, June 15 (IANS) England head coach Brendon McCullum has admitted that he is ‘worried’ about the well-being of Ben Stokes after the regular skipper was dropped for the second Test against New Zealand following a late‑night nightclub incident.

Stokes and seamer Gus Atkinson were excluded for the second Test after breaching a midnight curfew in the aftermath of England’s victory at Lord’s. The altercation, involving a Saracens club rugby player, is currently under an internal investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

“When I first found out, I was slightly bewildered. You go through a range of emotions. You go from being bewildered, to angry, to gutted. From the progress that we talked about and discussed over these six months, and what we’re trying to do, and the improvements we want to make, which includes the standards we set for ourselves.

“To hear about this was incredibly gutting. Quickly, through talking to Ben and Gus, my emotion turned to worry and concern — for Ben in particular — and how we support these guys. That’s not overlooking the fact they haven’t lived up to the standards we set for ourselves,” said McCullum in the press conference.

Asked if the incident was serious enough to cost Stokes the captaincy, McCullum paused before replying. “I’m worried about Ben. That’s it. I’ll leave it at that. We need to go through a process. I look at the time, the last four years I’ve worked intimately with Ben. I’ve seen Ben be an unbelievable captain.

“I’ve seen him at his absolute best as a captain, his best as a player. He’s helped shape this environment over the last four years. He’s had some incredible success doing it, and I feel very lucky that during that time, we have worked so closely together. What will be will be down the line. Those decisions are not for now.

“The concern is making sure Ben is fine. We need to make sure we look after him, rally around him, and in time we’ll get on to those sorts of decisions. For me, I’m just making sure I’m checking in with him. That’s where things sit at the moment. (We’re going to) Keep communicating, checking in daily. We have spoken every day since this incident unfolded.

“There’s been a range of emotions Ben has gone through. I am not going to share those with you. That’s out of respect for our relationship and the confidentiality of it as well. I care about Ben and want to make sure we are doing the right thing by him. Ultimately, doing the right thing by the team also,” he concluded.

–IANS

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