England head coach Brendon McCullum 'concerned' about Ben Stokes' mental health

England head coach Brendon McCullum has voiced his concern for Ben Stokes following the nightclub incident that led to the ECB standing him down as captain.

For context, Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson broke England’s midnight curfew after their 115‑run victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s. The pair, accompanied by the team’s security liaison officer, went to a nightclub to celebrate.

The night took a turn when they became involved in a physical altercation with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa. Auvaa allegedly threw a punch at Atkinson, which instead struck the liaison officer, leaving him injured and in need of medical attention.

The ECB and Cricket Regulator immediately launched an investigation, which remains ongoing. As a result, both Stokes and Atkinson were left out of the squad for the second Test at The Oval, starting June 17.

McCullum admitted his initial reaction was anger, but said his emotions quickly shifted to concern for Stokes’ well-being.

"To hear about this was incredibly gutting," McCullum was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "When you're in roles like this you have to start trying to separate the action from the man.

"Very quickly, though, talking to Ben in particular, and also Gus, my overall emotion turned to worry and concern for Ben in particular. Since then, it has been about how we support these guys, whilst not overlooking the fact they have not lived up to the standards we have set for ourselves.

"You can't walk past that, and we'll deal with that in time and through a process. For me, it's very much about how we support these guys through the next stage, in particular Ben. That is very much where my mind is at, my worry for him."

While McCullum openly expressed concern for Stokes’ mental health, he stopped short of committing to Stokes’ return as captain.

"We need to go through a process," McCullum said. "I look at the time, the last four years I've worked intimately with Ben. I've seen Ben be an unbelievable captain. I've seen him at his absolute best as a captain, his best as a player.

"He's helped shape this environment over the last four years. He's had some incredible success doing it and I feel very lucky that during that time we have worked so closely together. What will be will be down the line. Those decisions are not for now.

"The concern is making sure Ben is fine. We need to make sure we look after him, rally around him, and in time we'll get on to those sorts of decisions. For me I'm just making sure I'm checking in with him. That's where things sit at the moment."

McCullum added that he has been in daily contact with Stokes since the incident, stressing the importance of communication and support.

"[We're going to] keep communicating, checking in daily. We have spoken every day since this incident has unfolded. There's been a range of emotions Ben has gone through. I am not going to share those with you. That's out of respect for our relationship, and the confidentiality of it as well. I care about Ben and want to make sure we are doing the right thing by him. Ultimately doing the right thing by the team also."