India, June 9 -- The off-field controversy that rocked English cricket on Monday and prompted the ECB to launch an investigation into Test captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson has escalated dramatically. The England board has reportedly given Stokes the chance to decide his own future as Test captain, while the 35-year-old is also understood to be considering retirement from international cricket altogether.

The incident allegedly took place in the early hours of Monday morning, when Stokes and Atkinson breached the team's newly introduced curfew by visiting a nightclub after England's victory over New Zealand in the first Test. The pair were reportedly involved in an altercation, triggering an ECB investigation and casting do...