Spectre of Stokes hangs over England at The Oval

Ben Stokes has won 24 of his 42 Tests since he was appointed Test captain in April 2022

The Test summer has so far comprised 166 overs of cricket. Not enough to fill two complete days.

It has also included Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being made unavailable for a Test, a security guard being punched and Ollie Robinson's international comeback halted by an injury.

Kane Williamson, a bona fide all-time great, has retired and England have chosen four debutants in two Tests. Shoaib Bashir was picked, didn't bowl, and has been left out.

Devon Conway has flown to New Zealand and back for the birth of his child and will play in the second Test. Jamie Smith's second baby has arrived and he will not. Criticism of the pitch from England's first-Test win at Lord's feels a long time ago.

English cricket is never knowingly without a crisis. Dirt in the pocket, Zimbabwe and the Fredalo. Kevin Pietersen being sacked as captain, Kevin Pietersen's text messages and Kevin Pietersen being sacked as a player. Bristol, Wellington and Noosa.

This latest one surrounding Stokes rumbles on. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) deny he has been asked to resign as captain, and suggestions the top brass want to force him out are said to be incorrect.

Brendon McCullum was sombre in describing his "worry and concern" for Stokes, but Durham coach Ryan Campbell said the all-rounder is in "good spirits".

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You will have your own views on the rights and wrongs of a grown man being out past the time his employers said he should have been in bed. Maybe that is no longer the main issue preventing Stokes' return.

A Test match will once again break out on Wednesday morning. England will win the series if they beat New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval. They have not won a series for 18 months.

While much of the conjecture around Stokes has been on his future as captain, England will once again experience the impact of his absence as a player.

Without Stokes' all-round abilities, the hosts have had to bolster their batting by bringing in debutant Jordan Cox, and add to their seam bowling with Sonny Baker, meaning Bashir has been jettisoned.

With Atkinson also on the naughty step, Robinson injured and Smith on paternity leave it means five changes.

The most recent instance England made a quintet of changes between Tests in a home series was the last time they played New Zealand at this ground, a defeat in 1999 that ended with captain Nasser Hussain being booed.

There will be similar noises directed towards stand-in skipper Joe Root this week. Not boos, but the low rumble of his name when he walks out to bat.

In taking charge of England in a record-extending 65th Test, Root will lead a team that includes three debutants. The last time England had a trio of uncapped players in the same XI was at The Oval against South Africa in 2017.

Added to Emilio Gay making his bow in the first Test at Lord's, it is four debutants in the series. England have not had four debutants in a home series since that same New Zealand summer of 1999, the last before central contracts ended a revolving-door selection policy.

It is a further sign of the rapid evolution of the England team in the past three years.

In the Ashes Test of 2023 played on this ground, the home team included James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes. All have moved on since then, while another chunky collection of caps has been lost through the discarding of Jack Leach, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope.

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Stokes' continued role in the revolution remains a mystery.

This will be third consecutive Oval Test he has missed, following injuries in 2024 and 2025.

His destiny seemed to be ending his career at this ground next year, finally with his hands on the urn as an Ashes-winning captain. The events of the past week risk leaving that fairytale unfinished.

The confusing picture around Stokes' future comes not from what has been said, but what has not been said.

Neither McCullum nor England director of cricket Rob Key have said Stokes will return as captain. Root did not say he wanted the job full-time, but he did not say he does not want it, either. Stokes has said nothing.

It could be that all involved genuinely do not know how this will all play out. Until the results of the investigation are revealed, they cannot speculate over what might happen next.

Perhaps there is a greater conflict at play, one that is no longer about who did what in a nightclub.

Stokes and McCullum had previously been at pains to insist they had not fallen out during the Ashes, but it is not hard to imagine a scenario where this latest controversy has re-opened old wounds.

Or do we simply take everything we have heard at face value? England's priority may simply be for Stokes' wellbeing.

The 35-year-old has previously taken a break from the game for the good of his mental health and four years as England captain is enough to grind down any man, even a superman like Stokes. The Ashes would have taken a huge toll and was swiftly followed by the horrific facial injury sustained coaching the Durham academy.

Some who were close to Stokes at Lord's have said he didn't seem himself. Stokes spoke of his relief at the win, then the celebrations blew up in his face. If he is having a tough time, Key, McCullum and the rest are right to be wary about speculating on when he might return.

Amid all this, we are likely to have the strange situation of the England captain playing county cricket during a Test. Stokes being Stokes, he is quite likely to do something remarkable when he lines up for Durham against Northamptonshire on Friday.

He may not be at The Oval, but Stokes will remain a huge part of the story, his spectre hanging over an England team trying to deal with a mess of the captain's making.

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