McCullum wants players to celebrate success, but not "in excess"

England head coach Brendon McCullum said he was in favour of his players celebrating success as long as they did not go overboard, following an investigation into an incident involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson at a London nightclub. McCullum also urged his players to take more responsible decisions, while not wanting to "kill the joy".

With questions over whether the England men's team has a drinking problem, McCullum addressed media ahead of the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval. He expressed frustration over the incidents, emphasising he couldn't make every decision for players.

"I guess fundamentally I'm in charge of the environment and I take responsibility for things which don't work out… What you can't do is you can't make every single decision for people as well," McCullum said.

McCullum stressed the need for players to understand the perils of their actions regarding celebrations.

"I don't believe in excess. I think excess is a dangerous situation. You need to always uphold the standards… Every negative action has a large reaction which follows and I'd like us to start understanding that well before we make decisions which put the very environment in jeopardy."

With Director of Cricket Rob Key considering a complete ban on alcohol, McCullum didn't support a blanket rule. He referenced a column from Alastair Cook, where the former skipper cited his fondest moments were celebrating achievements with teammates.

"He mentioned some of his greatest moments are sitting in the dressing room celebrating what they've achieved… There's no blanket rule for everyone in that regard."

McCullum said the investigation process must be followed before taking a call on Stokes' future as Test captain. He added that he has been speaking to Stokes daily since the incident.

"I think we need to go through the process… The concern at the moment is making sure Ben is fine and we need to look after him, rally around him."

McCullum admitted being "slightly bewildered" when news of Stokes and Atkinson breaking the midnight curfew first emerged, experiencing a "range of emotions".

"You go from being bewildered onto angry, onto kind of gutted… To hear about this was incredibly gutting… My overall emotion probably turned to a little bit of worry and concern for Ben in particular."

McCullum added he was focused on supporting both players through the "next stage".