New Delhi: England captain Ben Stokes has admitted that he apologized to his teammates after returning to the third Test where he was selected. New Zealand Cricket Team. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test after being investigated for breaching the team’s midnight rule following England’s win in the opening match. Although they did not commit any violence, both of them received written warnings for violating the group’s rules.Speaking before the third Test at Trent Bridge, Stokes said that talking to the team was one of the first things he did after joining the team.“That was one of the first things I had to do as captain,” Stokes told reporters.The England manager admitted the nightclub row had affected more than just him. He said it covered an important moment for several young Test players in the second match.“It affected Joe, it affected the team, it affected people outside the stadium. It obviously had an effect on the guys who were making their debut. This should be all about them, but unfortunately a situation that was out of their control got in the way of their big day making their debut for England in Test cricket,” he said.England, led by Joe Root in Stokes’ absence, lost the second Test by 253 runs as New Zealand leveled the series 1-1.Stokes said leadership means owning up to mistakes and apologizing when needed.“It would be stupid and irrational for me not to accept that and deal with it. It’s all good and everything is going well when it’s going well, but you have to take responsibility for things as well. If you’re the one who has to take that responsibility, you have to be big enough and man enough to be able to take it on your shoulders, look everyone in the eye, and apologize. That’s what I did,” he said.The 34-year-old also rejected suggestions of disagreement with England coach Brendon McCullum.“You don’t plan to go through things like this together when you’re a professional. Brendon and I talked pretty much every day in the first season.“Maybe in the future we will look back on this and go, this has made us stronger. This crack, this, this intrusion, we are not taken.”With the series tied at 1-1, Stokes said he and Atkinson are now focused on helping England win the final Test.“The big thing about me coming back, Gus coming back, is that we can focus on the main goal, which is the cricket this weekend.“It’s 1-1 in the series, we have one game left, and the importance of the result of this game is something we have to focus on,” he concluded.
