England Test skipper Ben Stokes said that he has apologised to his English teammates for missing the second Test against New Zealand due to breaching team protocols, while also expressing that he is “desperate for a result” during the series decider starting from Thursday. After missing The Oval Test along with pacer Gus Atkinson due to an alleged breach of team curfew and an incident in a Chelsea nightclub after securing a win in the first Lord’s Test, skipper Stokes is back in the playing XI as a captain. The investigations from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Cricket Regulator did not produce anything other than a formal written warning from ECB.

England lost the second Test by 253 runs, with Joe Root stepping in as captain. The absence of Stokes and Atkinson came after Ollie Robinson and Jamie Smith also missed the second Test due to an injury and paternity leave, respectively. Hence, a total of three players got their maiden Test caps, namely James Rew, Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox, all of whom have been dropped for the series decider.

Speaking in the pre-match presser on Wednesday, Stokes said, as quoted by Cricinfo, “Of course I apologised. That was one of the first things I had to do as a captain. You look at the situation, and it affects more than just myself. It affects a lot of people, it affected Joe, the squad, the people outside the playing environment. It no doubt had an effect on lads who were making their debut. That should have been all about them, but unfortunately, a situation outside of their control took precedence over their big days, making their debut for England in Test cricket.”

Stokes said that it would have been “stupid and naive” of him not to acknowledge and address the situation, noting the responsibility he has as a leader of the group.

“It is all fine and well, everything being fine and dandy when it is all going well, but you need to take responsibility for things as well. You need to be big enough and man enough to take that upon your shoulders, and look everyone who it has affected in the eye and apologise the way you need to apologise. That is something that I did,” he added.

The show of remorse from Stokes is expected to cool the debate around the future of Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key, who escaped unscathed from an ECB review after a 1-4 loss in the away Ashes series this year. This incident made England feel the pressure during their first international series of the summer.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), the important thing for me as captain of the team was making sure that I was letting the lads know that I am back properly as the captain of this team. I did need to obviously say a few things and acknowledge a few things to the team, and the team only, and I feel like I voiced those quite well to everyone,” he said.

He also said he has let his mates know “where his concentration is”.

“Everyone in the dressing-room is fully aware of the responsibilities as players who got the call-up this week, and I am fully aware of the responsibilities of me as captain to lead this team in a pretty important game,” he added.

Stokes admitted that while the last match’s result cannot be changed, they can change what happens in the series decider.

“We are desperate to get the results. I am desperate to be the result. I think I have made a pretty good effort at making sure that the most important people know that, which is the team,” he signed off.

England XI for third Test: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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England will have to wait before securing their place in the round of 32. The Three Lions were held to a goalless draw by a resilient Ghana squad.

France will be without Didier Deschamps on Friday against Norway. The national team coach has returned home following the death of his mother. He is expected to return to the United States on Saturday.

Finally, in basketball, Monaco claimed the French championship title for the third time in four years by defeating Paris in a decisive Game 5.

Northern Ireland’s upcoming Nations League campaign and EURO 2028 qualifiers will be broadcast live on the BBC.

The free-to-air agreement between the broadcaster and Uefa will see an extension of the current deal until June 2028, and will also include Scotland and Wales internationals as the BBC maintains its commitment to make international football accessible to all.

In the build-up to the 2028 Uefa European Championship, hosted by the UK and the Republic of Ireland, there will be around 60 live games available between the three nations, while the tournament itself will be broadcast live on the BBC.

The extension builds upon a hugely successful partnership that has made the BBC the home of international football for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales since the initial deal was struck in March 2025, with live action available on BBC television, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

Audiences have reflected the appetite for live international football, with an average UK-wide audience of 1.11m tuning in for Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Germany, with 121,000 people watching in Northern Ireland alone.

Wales’ exit and Scotland’s dramatic qualification win over Denmark also saw audiences over 1m, while Steve Clarke’s side’s recent World Cup opener against Haiti drew a peak audience of 2.8 million viewers on BBC One and iPlayer, despite a 02:00 BST kick-off.

“Extending this agreement is fantastic news for football fans across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ensuring every match is available live and free-to-air on the BBC,” said Rhuanedd Richards, Interim Director of BBC Nations.

“These fixtures bring communities together and deliver some of the biggest shared moments in our sporting calendar. We’re proud to continue telling these stories and showcasing our nations’ teams.”

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, added: “International football creates moments that unite communities, spark national pride and generate huge audiences across every platform.

“We’re delighted to extend our partnership with Uefa and continue bringing every Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland men’s international match to fans free-to-air.

“Whether watching on television, streaming on iPlayer or following through the BBC Sport website, app or our social channels, audiences can be sure the BBC will be there for every crucial moment on the road to Uefa Euro 2028.”

BBC coverage of the Fifa World Cup continues throughout the tournament, including Scotland’s match against Brazil this evening at 23:00 BST on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal continues to shock the NFL world, even months after it began. The NFL reporter and the New England Patriots coach were photographed together at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona. While she shrugged off the rumors at first, she resigned from her job at The Athletic a few days later after the company launched an investigation.

The Athletic’s parent company, The New York Times, revealed details of the investigation on Wednesday. Russini is believed to have violated the firm’s strict journalistic codes.

“The Athletic’s editorial guidelines include language addressing relationships between its journalists and the people they cover,” the report read. “Under a section titled ‘Transparency,’ the publication says reporters should avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest and reveal those sources or affiliations that may put into question our ability to be credible.”

“Ms. Russini did not alert editors to any conflicts of interest, according to the Times Company spokeswoman.”

Kelly McBride, the chair of the Newmark Center for Ethics at the Poynter Institute, added that if a journalist has a close platonic relationship with a source, they should bring in their bosses to discuss how that would look to the public. According to her, Russini could have told the news outlet that she was friends with Vrabel and gotten another assignment.

Also Read: 66 days after getting fired for degrading Dianna Russini, reporter Crissy Froyd embarks on new career amid Mike Vrabel saga

Also Read: “A very dirty secret is about to become public”: NFL fans react as Mark Schlereth raises concerns about investigation into Dianna Russini conduct

Tony Farmer raises questions about Dianna Russini’s role in Mike Vrabel’s Patriots arrival

Podcaster Tony Farmer sparked debate on Tuesday by suggesting that former reporter Dianna Russini may have played a part in creating tension between Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, leading to Vrabel taking up the coaching role in 2025.

“Did Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel work together to create tension in the media and nudge Bill Belichick out of New England to create a job opening for Mike?” Farmer tweeted. “IDK, but this might explain Jordon Hudson’s shade toward Russini recently. If the Pats were the destination all along, it would explain why Mike took a year off from coaching too.”

Farmer also pointed to reports suggesting that some Patriots players favored hiring Vrabel immediately after Belichick’s exit, despite the team’s plans to move forward with Jerod Mayo.

He attached a November 2023 article by Russini discussing a potential split between Belichick and the Patriots. Vrabel arrived in New England in January 2025 and guided the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance in his first season.