Joe Root will lead England in their second Test against New Zealand next week, with Ben Stokes left out of the squad.
Stokes and Gus Atkinson have both been left out of the squad following an incident in the aftermath of England's win in the first Test of the series at Lord's. Both players broke the team's midnight curfew, and were reportedly involved in an altercation with a Saracens rugby player, following which an ECB security staff member required stitches.
Jofra Archer and Jordan Cox have both been called up to the squad.
England squad for second Test vs New Zealand
Joe Root (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
Joe Root has been named as England’s interim captain for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval next week 🏴
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 10, 2026
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have both been left out of the squad, while Jofra Archer and Jordan Cox have been called up.#ENGvNZ #Cricket pic.twitter.com/lqy0xhI6hF
Root has been selected as captain on an interim basis ahead of Harry Brook, who was named as England's official Test vice-captain over the winter. Brook was involved in his own off-field controversy, when he was caught up in an altercation with a bouncer in Wellington the night before an ODI. He was subsequently fined £30,000, but retained his role as England white-ball captain.
The last time Root led England in a Test match was in 2022, when he captained England in a Test series in the West Indies following their defeat in that winter's Ashes series. Root stood down from the captaincy following that series, and Stokes took over at the start of the home summer. Over his captaincy tenure, Root led England in 64 Tests, winning 27 and losing 26.
ALSO READ: Mark Butcher: Multiple sackings could follow Stokes-Atkinson nightclub episode
When Stokes has previously been unavailable to play since taking over captain, Ollie Pope has taken over, leading England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2024, and taking the armband for the final Test against India at The Oval last year. Pope was dropped from the Test side following last winter's Ashes series.
The second Test of England's series against New Zealand will begin at The Oval next Wednesday, June 17.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
