Stokes sorry but keen to focus solely on England

ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes apologised to his teammates for the night out that sent the Test summer into turmoil, but refused to offer any guarantees over his long-term future.

- RORY DOLLARD

Speaking for the first time since an incident that saw him and fast bowler Gus Atkinson issued with a written conduct warning - while being cleared of any wrongdoing in a physical altercation - Stokes revealed he had said sorry to the squad, which lost heavily at the Kia Oval in his absence.

He declared himself ‘‘back properly’’ for the series decider at Trent Bridge, which starts today, but declined the opportunity to say he was back for good.

‘‘I understand there’s a lot of questions that you (the media) probably want to ask and want to hear from me, but I hope you respect in terms of this whole week, I’m (only) focusing on this week,’’ he said.

‘‘That’s where my focus is at right now. I understand there are probably some questions but right now I’m here as captain of this team and all I want to do is get the team focused on winning here. We are 1-1 in a three-match series and this week is massive for the team.’’

In a subsequent interview with the BBC’s Test Match Special, Stokes admitted the saga had forced him to ponder whether he would be willing to return to the ranks after four years leading the side.