New Delhi: England captain Ben Stokes admits he apologized to teammates after returning for series-deciding third Test new zealand cricket team. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test as they were investigated for allegedly breaching the team’s midnight curfew after England’s first-match win. Although they did not commit any violent acts, both received written warnings for violating team rules.Ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge, Stokes said addressing the team was the first thing he did after joining the team.“That’s the first thing I have to do as captain,” Stokes told reporters.The England captain admitted he was not alone in the nightclub controversy. He said it overshadowed big moments for several young players who made their Test debuts in the second game.“It affects Joe, it affects the team, it affects people outside the playing environment. There’s no doubt it has an impact on the lads who are making their debuts. It should have been all about them but unfortunately circumstances beyond their control have taken precedence over the big day of their Test debuts in England,” he added.In the absence of Stokes, England, led by Joe Root, lost by 253 runs in the second Test, with New Zealand leveling the series 1-1.Stokes said leadership means admitting mistakes and apologizing when necessary.“To me, it would be foolish and naive not to acknowledge that and address it. Everything is fine, everything is fine, and when things are going well, everything is fine, but you also need to take responsibility for things. If you need to take responsibility, you need to be big enough and manly enough to be able to put that on your shoulders, look everybody in the eye, and apologize in the way that you need to apologize. That’s what I do,” he said.The 34-year-old also denied suggestions he was at odds with England manager Brendan McCullum.“You don’t plan on going through something like this together in a professional setting. In the early stages, Brendan and I spoke almost every day.“Maybe in the future we’ll look back and realize that this did bring us closer. This rift, this alienation, we certainly weren’t alienated.”With the series tied at 1-1, Stokes said he and Atkinson were now solely focused on helping England win the final Test.“I’m back, Gus is back and the most important thing is for us to focus on the main goal, which is cricket this week.“The series is 1-1, we have one game left and the importance of the result is one thing we need to focus on,” he concluded.
