What happened with Ben Stokes? England captain under ECB investigatio…

Ever since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have become the face and brain of the England Test team, controversies just haven’t let them breathe. After all the fines and probes done by the England Cricket Board (ECB) after a forgettable Ashes series, another serious episode has taken place.

England captain Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson are being investigated by the ECB following an incident at a London nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning, shortly after England’s 115-run win over New Zealand at Lord’s. According to the ECB, the matter is being treated as a breach of team protocols. The governing body has referred the case to the Cricket Regulator and is gathering further information before deciding on any disciplinary action. capturengo.org

ESPN Cricinfo’s reports suggest the incident involved players from Saracens Rugby Club, who were celebrating the end of their season at the same venue. The disagreement is understood to have originated between Atkinson and an unnamed Saracens academy player.

Crucially, neither Stokes nor Atkinson was injured, and the ECB has not disclosed the precise nature of the incident. However, it is believed to be more serious than simply breaking England’s midnight curfew. Both players are expected to miss the second Test against New Zealand while the investigation continues.

England’s recent off-field controversies

England have faced multiple disciplinary headaches over the last 12 months.

Incident	What happened
Noosa controversy (Ashes 2025-26)	Players were criticised for a mid-series break in Australia, with footage of Ben Duckett appearing intoxicated surfacing online.
Harry Brook nightclub incident	Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer in Wellington before an ODI against New Zealand.
Jacob Bethell warning	Bethell was reprimanded following the same Wellington incident involving Brook.
Midnight curfew introduced	England imposed a strict midnight curfew on players and staff after the Australia tour.
Stokes-Atkinson investigation	Latest nightclub incident after the Lord’s Test win, now under formal ECB investigation.

Why is this such a big issue?

The controversy arrives at the worst possible time for England. Only months ago, the team introduced a strict midnight curfew after repeated criticism of players’ behaviour during the Ashes tour of Australia. That tour triggered debate about whether England had developed an unhealthy drinking culture.

The latest incident threatens to reopen those discussions. What makes matters more awkward is that Stokes himself revealed after Sunday’s victory that he was looking forward to enjoying “a proper beer with the boys” following the win.

What happens next? The ECB and cricket regulator will determine whether any disciplinary rules were breached and whether sanctions are warranted.

If Stokes is unavailable, vice-captain Harry Brook is the obvious candidate to lead England in the second Test at The Oval.

The post What happened with Ben Stokes? England captain under ECB investigation after nightclub incident appeared first on Inside Sport India.

This summer, there is mango obscenity in Bengaluru; perhaps all across the country as there seems to be a bumper harvest. The markets are overflowing and the shop shelves are crowding the pavements with the king of fruits. Banganapalli, Badami, Imam Pasand and Alphonso seem to have colonised every pavement and supermarket shelf. There is abundance, and then there is excess. Bengaluru has crossed into the latter. Then there are the giant cut-outs of D.K. Shivakumar that seem to emerge around every corner. And of course, Shankar Nag, whose smiling face still adorns the backs of autos decades after his passing, perhaps the most enduring symbol of a city that simultaneously celebrates the future and clings lovingly to its past.

Visibility comes easily in Bengaluru. Respect takes much longer. Which brings us to Prasidh Krishna. For nearly a decade, Karnataka cricket has known what Prasidh possesses. Height, Bounce, Pace and Classic Hit-the-deck bowler. That 4 wickets haul in England. The ability to make batters uncomfortable even on surfaces that offer little assistance. Yet public perception has remained stubbornly unconvinced. One of my colleagues even termed him Public Enemy Number 1. One good Test against Afghanistan does not suddenly make him India’s next great fast bowler.

The real question is not whether Prasidh bowled well against Afghanistan. He did. The real question is whether this was evidence of a fast bowler beginning to understand his craft.

Fast bowling is often misunderstood in India. We celebrate speed, wickets and aggression. But the great fast bowlers are ultimately problem-solvers. They think their way through spells. They understand angles, field placements, match situations and batter psychology.

That is what separated Javagal Srinath from his contemporaries. It is what made Venkatesh Prasad more dangerous than his pace suggested.

And it is precisely what Prasidh is still learning. The Afghanistan Test offered several clues.

The first was his willingness to attack the stumps. For years, Prasidh has often looked tempted by the corridor outside off stump, searching for the perfect delivery. Against Afghanistan, he was far more direct. He challenged the batter’s defence repeatedly, forcing them to play. On Indian pitches, where extravagant seam movement is rare, that remains the most reliable route to wickets.

The second was the use of the wobble seam. Modern fast bowling increasingly relies on uncertainty rather than dramatic swing. The wobble seam creates indecision. It asks the batter to commit without fully knowing what the ball will do. A few of Prasidh’s most threatening deliveries came through that method.

But perhaps the most significant change was tactical. For years, Prasidh’s struggles against left-handers have been apparent. From over the wicket, his natural angle often dragged him into two mistakes: drifting onto the pads or offering width outside off. Against Afghanistan, he repeatedly came around the wicket from the outset. Suddenly his angle became an attacking weapon. The dismissal of Sediqullah Atal perfectly illustrated the point – a delivery that jagged back from around the wicket and shattered the stumps. Later, he trapped Hashmatullah Shahidi lbw using a similar approach.

This is where the influence of India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, becomes interesting. Morkel himself built a career on understanding how height and angles create discomfort. Recent observations around India’s camp suggest significant work has gone into refining Prasidh’s methods rather than merely improving his fitness or pace.

The mangoes will disappear in a few weeks. The political banners will come down. Bengaluru will move on to its next obsession. But Shankar Nag remains on those auto backs because consistency eventually becomes legacy. For Prasidh Krishna, the challenge is exactly the same. At 29, age is not on his side with youngsters like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana in the mix. Can we move from the excitement of one bumper mango harvest to finding his Shankar Nag place in the team?

The post Mangoes, Shankar Nag and the Making of a Fast Bowler appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

India have recorded a sensational win, their biggest ever in Tests as they beat Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs. The hero of the match was Manav Suthar, who was superb, taking a fifer on his debut. The Shubman Gill-led side will now head to three ODIs that begin on June 13. For the ODIs, Rohit Sharma is keeping up with the pace as he is set to undergo a fitness test. Meanwhile, a lot has been happening in Suryakumar Yadav’s life.

Rohit Sharma injury update

Rohit Sharma’s availability for the Afghanistan ODI series remains uncertain as the former India captain has reported to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for fitness tests. He suffered a hamstring injury during IPL 2026 and missed several matches for Mumbai Indians before returning in a limited role of an Impact sub. He is expected to spend a few days at the CoE undergoing assessments before joining the squad in Dharamshala. With Virat Kohli already ruled out of the series, India will be hoping Rohit receives the green light, especially with preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup now underway. Read more here.

Suryakumar Yadav finds form

Suryakumar Yadav has responded positively to losing both India’s T20I captaincy and his place in the squad, producing back-to-back impactful knocks in the T20 Mumbai League. Leading the Triumphs Knights, he followed up a 48 off 24 against Mumbai Falcons with an unbeaten 72 off 36 against Maratha Royals, striking at 200 in both innings. After a disappointing T20 World Cup 2026 and IPL campaign, the runs are a kind of confidence boost. Read more here.

Manav Suthar leads India to win

India made light work of Afghanistan in Mullanpur, wrapping up the one-off Test inside three days with a record innings-and-300-run victory. While centuries from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul put the hosts in complete control, the biggest takeaway was Manav Suthar’s dream debut. The left-arm spinner claimed 6/33 in the first innings and finished with seven wickets in the match, strengthening his case as Ravindra Jadeja’s long-term successor. Washington Sundar also impressed with a fifty and four wickets, as India’s spin attack completely outclassed Afghanistan on a slow surface. Read more here.

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Tilak Varma is present and future

Tilak Varma’s appointment as India’s T20I vice-captain may have surprised many, but it appears the move has been in the works for some time. The left-hander revealed that Gautam Gambhir had already encouraged him to think like a future India captain while leading India A, indicating that the team management sees him as a long-term leadership prospect. At just 23, Tilak has built captaincy experience across domestic cricket and India A and believes the new role is more about responsibility than pressure. Having also spent four seasons under Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians, Tilak says he has picked up valuable lessons in leadership and game management that he hopes to carry forward as he begins this new chapter under Shreyas Iyer. Read more here.

Australia squad for Bangladesh ODIs

Australia will be without both Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head for the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh. Marsh has not fully recovered from the ankle injury that ruled him out of the Pakistan series, although he is expected to return for the T20Is and will continue as captain in that format. In his absence, Josh Inglis will lead the ODI side once again. Head, meanwhile, has been granted leave for personal reasons. Australia have also lost Tanveer Sangha to a hamstring injury, with Todd Murphy replacing him, while youngster Oliver Peake retains his place in the squad. Read more here.

Rizwan vs Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series sweep over Pakistan has been followed by new controversy, with Litton Das accusing Mohammad Rizwan of refusing to shake hands after both matches. The series was already tense, featuring on-field verbal exchanges and a stump-mic incident involving Rizwan and Bangladesh players. Litton claimed Rizwan’s behaviour after the games was “unprofessional”, especially since the rest of the Pakistan team participated in the customary handshakes. He also admitted Bangladesh deliberately targeted Rizwan with sledging because of his importance to Pakistan’s batting lineup. Read more here.

The post DRS June 9: Suryakumar Yadav responds, Rohit Sharma’s injury update & menacing Manav Suthar appeared first on Inside Sport India.