'Give Brendon a break' - Stokes denies rift with 'friend' McCullum

England captain Ben Stokes has refuted any suggestion his relationship with head coach Brendon McCullum has suffered as a result of his suspension following a breach of curfew rules set out by the ECB. Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson were made unavailable for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval - which England lost by 253 runs - following an episode in the early hours on Monday June 8, the day after England's 115-run victory at Lord's in the series opener, with an investigation launched.

The ECB said on Sunday a disciplinary process found "no blame" should be attached to the players…