Ben Stokes has quelled talk of retirement by netting at Chester-le-Street as England received another jolt ahead of the second Test against New Zealand.

England captain Stokes was, along with Gus Atkinson, overlooked for Wednesday’s match at The Oval, as an inquiry into the breaking of a curfew at the end of the 115-run win at Lord’s continues.

Stokes, 35, was left pondering his future following the early hours incident on Monday morning at the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea when a member of the ECB’s security staff was struck by Saracens academy player Totoa Auvaa amid a disagreement over table arrangements in a VIP area.

Yet, as he practised alongside his Durham team-mates ahead of the second day of the County Championship fixture with Derbyshire on Saturday, another potential Oval absentee emerged in the shape of Ollie Robinson, who celebrated a return from a two-year international exile by claiming figures of seven for 77 and the man-of-the-match award at Lord’s.

Responding to discomfort Robinson felt in his knee training on Friday, the ECB booked a ‘precautionary scan’ and called up his uncapped Sussex team-mate Henry Crocombe as cover.

Stokes was working in the nets at Durham with batting coach Dale Benkenstein, alongside Emilio Gay, and also bowled in the middle pre-play.

On Friday, Surrey’s Atkinson joined up with Jofra Archer at Hove for a session with England’s elite bowling coach Troy Cooley in attendance.

Despite probes by the ECB and Cricket Regulator running concurrently, Stokes and Atkinson are permitted to play domestic cricket, throwing up the chance that they face Northamptonshire and Glamorgan respectively next Friday.

Getting back into his kit so soon appears to have scotched talk of premature retirement, although Durham coach Ryan Campbell offered a cautionary note about his participation for the Division Two leaders while the second Test is being contested 300 miles away, telling Daily Mail Sport: ‘No decision has been made yet. That will be up to the ECB and Ben.’

Crocombe, 24, was removed from Sussex’s home match against Glamorgan yesterday afternoon after figures of two for 41 boosted his 2026 County Championship tally to 21 wickets at 28 runs apiece.

England will have to make at least two changes to their seam attack after omitting Stokes and Atkinson, with Archer, whose last first-class cricket came in the Ashes last December, Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker joining Josh Tongue in the squad.

On Thursday, England’s men’s director of cricket Rob Key said that Stokes had gone through a full range of emotions since news broke of his team protocol violation.

When Key was asked at the Lord’s press conference if he expected Stokes to play international cricket again, he said he did not see why not.

However, he stopped short of backing the all-rounder remaining as Test captain.

‘We’ve just got to let that play out, to be honest,’ he said. ‘The decision is about what’s best for the team and what’s best for Ben as well. It’s not just about what’s happened on Sunday night. It’s about what is the best thing moving forward, and that’s where we need the time, because that’s a big decision.’

Asked whether his words meant he wouldn’t sack Stokes, Key replied: ‘I’m not saying that.’