Two chaotic weeks in English cricket reached a resolution of sorts on Sunday evening when Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were cleared of serious wrongdoing and named in England's squad for the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge next week. But how did we get here, and what questions remain unanswered about curfew-gate?
What happened at the Rex Rooms nightclub on the night of June 7?
England's players celebrated their win in the first Test at Lord's in the changing-rooms, before several players moved onto pubs in west London near the team's hotel. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson extended their night by heading onto the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea, staying out beyond the team's midnight curfew. They were accompanied by James Shaw, a member of the ECB's security detail.
There were two 'incidents' at the club, one inside the venue and one outside. In one of them, Atkinson was involved in an altercation with Totoa Auvaa, a Saracens academy rugby player, who allegedly struck Shaw in the face and caused him injuries that required stitches. Shaw has not been with the team at The Oval this week.
The ECB released a statement the following day, saying that Stokes and Atkinson had breached "team protocols" and alluding to "an incident" at the club in the early hours of June 8. The revelations fuelled speculation that Stokes would resign as captain or potentially retire from the sport altogether, and cast fresh doubt on England's professionalism.
What was the reaction from England's management?
Rob Key, England's managing director, said last week that he had experienced "a sinking feeling, and then disbelief, anger", as well as "shock that it was Ben involved in this". He pointedly declined to confirm Stokes would return as captain, having installed Joe Root as an interim captain for the second Test at The Oval; Harry Brook, Stokes' vice-captain, was overlooked, in part due to his own off-field antics last winter.
Brendon McCullum, England's head coach, said that he went from being "bewildered, onto angry, onto kinda gutted". He said that he was in regular contact with Stokes, and repeatedly referenced his "worry and concern for Ben" while speaking to the media. Like Key, McCullum declined to back Stokes as captain, which he later intimated was due to the ongoing disciplinary processes.
What were the two investigations launched?
There were two simultaneous investigations into the events at Rex Rooms: an internal disciplinary hearing, run by the ECB, and another launched by the Cricket Regulator. The Regulator, which was launched in 2023, is an independent body that is ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB. The ECB describes it as "the body responsible for monitoring compliance with the game's regulations".
The investigations took place in the build-up to - and during - the second Test at The Oval, for which neither Atkinson nor Stokes was considered for selection. Both players were interviewed by the Regulator, who shared evidence with the ECB.
What were the findings of the ECB's investigation?
The ECB said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that Stokes and Atkinson had breached "specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket".
It added that there was "no blame" attached to either player for the "violent conduct" at the nightclub, saying that Atkinson was "the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate" and that Stokes did not witness and was not involved in the altercation.
What were Stokes and Atkinson's punishments?
Both players were effectively given backdated one-match suspensions, having missed the second Test, and were given written warnings over their conduct by the ECB.
The Regulator found that the players had no case to answer, and did not charge them.
Both Stokes and Atkinson were named in England's 15-man squad for next week's third Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
Why did the Cricket Regulator not charge them?
The Regulator found no case to answer. Having ascertained there were no official ECB rules or regulations broken, they were specifically looking into whether Stokes or Atkinson had done anything to provoke the two nightclub 'incidents', either in their actions or words. Their investigations found no such provocation or retaliation from either party.
Did England's players know about the midnight curfew?
The curfew was brought in place after the Ashes and requires players to be back at the team hotel by midnight. It is supposed to run throughout the series. It was first installed for England's tour of Sri Lanka which immediately followed the tour of Australia, and continued into the T20 World Cup in India.
There was no official document formed, but players on that Sri Lanka tour were sent the protocol via WhatsApp. Managing director Key said that the new rules were sent to representatives at the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP), who represent players on ECB central contracts. Player agents contacted by ESPNcricinfo say these were not passed onto them.
Speaking in the days after the breach, Key revealed Atkinson, who was not part of England's white-ball tours at the start of the year, claimed to be unaware of the curfew. It was an excuse Key suggested would not fly for Stokes, who had been integral to the formation and acceptance of the new code, and the improvements around player behaviour.
"A number of players went out that night and all but two of them came back in time for the curfew," Key said. "Gus Atkinson says he didn't know.
"Ben Stokes and I have spent probably three months working through a lot of things on: how do we improve the culture, the performance, everything with this team? He's been an integral part of that… The curfew is on throughout the series."
It is claimed Stokes was unsure whether the curfew applied at the end of the Test, particularly with 10 days until the second Test began. It has also been suggested that some players who did return to the team hotel after the curfew were actually unaware of it.
What about McCullum's comments on Sunday?
This is where it gets interesting. Ahead of the second Test, McCullum insisted all players should have been aware of the curfew because it is mentioned "constantly", and because it had been written about in the press. After England's win at Lord's, McCullum spoke to the players in the Lord's dressing-room and reminded them to behave themselves.
"Some will say, 'Did everyone know about the curfew?'" reiterated McCullum on Monday. "I think most of you guys know about the curfew and I've spoken at length about it. We constantly refer to it in the dressing-room. In my south Dunedin way, I reference it in a slightly more informal manner, but it is referenced constantly."
However, on Sunday after England's defeat at The Oval, McCullum ceded uncertainty over its enforcement and vowed to make it more official.
"Even if there is ambiguity, I think we've talked about the curfew, we've talked about standards, we've talked about many things that we want to be known for," he said. "Whilst there may not have been a hard blueprint, potentially - like a hard, factual blueprint - everyone knew what was going on.
"And in regards to making sure that we have these things better documented, so that there is no uncertainty around it, that will be something we'll do."
After all that… what happens next?
England head to Nottingham on Monday for the third and final Test, which begins on Thursday. McCullum is due to speak again on Tuesday before Stokes finally breaks his silence when he undertakes his usual pre-match captain's media duties on Wednesday.
The return of Stokes and Atkinson comes alongside Jamie Smith (paternity leave) and Ollie Robinson (right knee) who also missed the Oval Test. As a result, the XI will be reinforced for a winner-takes-all encounter.
A 2-1 win - which would be England's first series victory since their tour of New Zealand in late 2024 - would go some way to earn back a little trust from the public, but it will not cure all ills.
Having diverged in Australia, this latest episode will require a little more work from McCullum and Stokes to get their relationship back where it needs to be. And while Stokes is still revered by his players, he will have to show contrition having broken dressing-room rules that he instigated.
Defeat would be calamitous for the whole operation. After Key, McCullum and Stokes survived the Ashes review conducted by the ECB board, led by chief executive Richard Gould, a series defeat to New Zealand will be folded into the last two weeks and point to the fact that stability - in terms of senior personnel - has only managed to create more instability in English cricket.