England miss Ben Stokes as New Zealand close on Test series win

England’s reliance on Ben Stokes was exposed again at The Oval as New Zealand moved within sight of a series-clinching victory and a 1-1 scoreline looked increasingly out of reach. Pace bowler Josh Tongue, who made his Test debut under Stokes, was blunt about the effect of the captain’s absence: “We’ve missed him.”

Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the second Test after the England and Wales Cricket Board said both were unavailable for selection while an investigation into a breach of team protocols continued. The issue stemmed from a late-night incident in a Chelsea nightclub after England’s 115-run win over New Zealand at Lord’s, the victory that put Stokes’ side 1-0 up in the three-Test series.

Joe Root returned as interim captain even though Harry Brook is England’s official vice-captain, underlining how much of England’s tactical identity still runs through Stokes when he is available. Root, who previously captained England in 64 Tests from 2017 to 2022, had to manage a reshuffled side that was also without injured Ollie Robinson and the new father Jamie Smith. Stokes’ absence also left England unable to pick a frontline spinner at the Kia Oval, a balance problem that has been hard to disguise once the match situation turned against them.

By the close of day four on June 20, England were 182 for 5 in pursuit of New Zealand’s 463, still needing 281 more runs with six wickets in hand. If England had completed the chase, it would have been the highest successful fourth-innings pursuit in Test history. Instead, New Zealand’s position pointed toward a likely series decider at Trent Bridge starting on June 25.

Tongue’s own numbers reflected the strain on England’s attack. He finished with match figures of 3 for 161 in 40 overs, while Stokes, back at county level with Durham, scored 95 against Northamptonshire at Chester-le-Street during the same week, falling one short of a century and sharpening the debate over his omission. Durham chief executive Tim Bostock said he was “bemused” by some of the commentary about Stokes’ wellbeing, and head coach Ryan Campbell said Stokes looked in “good spirits” in training.

The ECB has said Stokes and Atkinson could yet be available for the third Test if the investigation is resolved. For England, the bigger question is whether Stokes is still the plug-in solution, or whether this side has built a structure that can stand without him.