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Stokes and Atkinson cleared by Cricket Regulator after nightclub incident / Photo: © AFP
Stokes and Atkinson cleared by Cricket Regulator after nightclub incident
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson will face no further action over the nightclub incident that prompted their exile from missing last week's second Test against New Zealand.
The Cricket Regulator's ruling on Monday, which effectively clears the England captain and his team-mate, comes after the duo were recalled on Sunday for Thursday's final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
A parallel investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board also absolved Stokes and Atkinson of any wrongdoing in an altercation involving Saracens rugby union player Totoa Auvaa that left a member of the England security bloodied.
The Cricket Regulator, which does not cover team protocols in its remit, said in a statement: "The Cricket Regulator's role is to determine whether any participant or player has breached any applicable ECB Cricket Regulations.
"The investigation followed multiple lines of enquiry to gather and assess evidence in relation to the events in question.
"Having carefully reviewed all currently available information, the Cricket Regulator has determined that there is insufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach occurred. Accordingly, no further action will be taken against either player."
Stokes and Atkinson were both interviewed by the Cricket Regulator, which is headed by director Chris Haward, a former national chief constable lead for serious and organised crime.
They subsequently returned to county cricket, Stokes with Durham and Atkinson with Surrey, before being withdrawn by the ECB ahead of their Test recalls.
They are due to join the squad in Nottingham on Monday before a training session at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
Stokes is due to hold his captain's press conference on Wednesday.
The ECB probe into the late-night trip to the Rex Rooms in Chelsea determined that Atkinson had been subject to two "unprovoked attacks" to which he did not retaliate.
Stokes, meanwhile, was found not to be present at the time.
The question of whether or not the pair knew they were in breach of a team curfew continues to linger.
Rob Key, the ECB's managing director of men's cricket, has said the relevant information was shared with the Team England Player Partnership, but head coach Brendon McCullum accepted on Sunday an element of "ambiguity" may have existed.
K. Berger--BTZ
