England head coach Brendon McCullum has stressed that his relationship with captain Ben Stokes hasn't been harmed in light of the nightclub controversy. After playing valuable roles in England's spirited victory in the first Test against New Zealand, Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were stood down from the second Test following the breach of a midnight curfew that forced the ECB to launch an investigation. However, the pair are back in the side for the third and final Test, scheduled to be played from June 25 at Trent Bridge.

"They are good. They're (Stokes & Atkinson) actually really great. Ben is great. I’ve had a good catch-up with him this morning, an hour and a bit talking, and he was outstanding. He is definitely, to my assessment, looks fantastic," McCullum said at the press conference.

“He looks ready to go; he’s enthusiastic about the week and, obviously, from our point of view, it’s nice to have the band back together.”

Speaking on his relationship with Stokes, McCullum said that they both are good friends. 

“Not at all. We talked about that this morning. We are good friends. We work very well together. Obviously, we have those robust conversations, but you'd be incredibly disappointed if you are leaders of an organisation and weren't having those robust conversations to try and steer your team forward. We had a great chat this morning," McCullum said.

McCullum further denied the reports of a rift in their relationship, underlining that Stokes had no idea of where rumours of a friction between them had emerged from.

‘Do you know where this has come from, the conversations around our relationship over the last six months?’

“He said, ‘No, I have no idea’. I said to him, ‘As far I’m concerned, I consider you a good friend’.

“Obviously we’ve been through a lot together as a working pair in leadership positions here in English cricket. In the end, we both want what’s right and what is the best for English cricket, and we’re crystal clear on the direction we want this team to take. There is going to be times when we discuss things and debate things," McCullum said.