captain of england ben stokes Root, who will miss the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval after the nightclub incident, is set to lead the team as interim captain.Stokes has been dropped from the team along with fast bowler Gus Atkinson after the pair violated the team’s midnight curfew in the early hours of Monday.The England and Wales Cricket Board said that Stokes and Atkinson “have not been made available for selection.”The two players were in a nightclub when a member of England’s security staff was attacked by Saracens rugby player Totoa Auwa.Although Harry Brook is England’s vice-captain, he has not been selected to lead the side for the match.Brook was involved in an incident last year when he was punched by a bouncer outside a nightclub in Wellington on the eve of an ODI against New Zealand.Therefore, Root will return to captaincy for the first time after stepping down from the role in 2022. The former captain led England in a record 64 Test matches between 2017 and 2022.The 35-year-old player remains England’s highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He resigned as captain after England achieved one win in 17 Test matches and was succeeded by Stokes.England have also included fast bowler Joffra Archer and batsman Jordan Cox in the team that won the first Test against New Zealand by 115 runs at Lord’s.The second Test against New Zealand will start from June 17 at The Oval.Meanwhile, some reports have suggested that England’s Ben Stokes may also retire from cricket following the nightclub brawl involving him and teammate Gus Atkinson.The development comes after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launched an investigation into an incident involving Stokes and Atkinson at a nightclub in the early hours of Monday, hours after England’s 115-run win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s.England Test Team: : Joe Root (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethel, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Reve, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue.