England Test captain Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the third Test against New Zealand, bringing the curtain down on a career that included the 2019 World Cup triumph and one of the most famous Ashes innings of all time.
When the news was announced at Trent Bridge on Sunday it drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
The timing may have been intended to inspire his teammates to deliver one last win for him, with England’s backs to the wall in the deciding third match of the sereies, and Stokes, playing in his 122nd Test, took a wicket with his first ball afterwards.
Stokes, who had only opened twice before in his England career, then strode out with Ben Duckett to spearhead England’s pursuit of a victory target of 373 – through a guard of honour formed by the New Zealand fielders and the umpires.
He got them away to a flying start with two sixes in the first five overs in front of a crowd willing him on to produce one last heroic innings before he holed out for 30 and left the field to one last standing ovation.
Stokes, who will continue to play for Durham, said the responsibility of the England captaincy had burned him out.
“It’s the best thing that I’ve ever been asked to do captaining this team, captaining this country,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s the greatest honour that can ever be put on your shoulders as a player but there’s another side to it that people don’t see and don’t understand. Only the people close to you can really see what you do go through emotionally.
“As good as it is there are bits that do get you, do drain you and do affect you in a negative way but overall for four and a half years, or whatever it’s been, I’ve loved every single moment of it.”
In a video shared by the ECB, Stokes told his teammates: “The only thing that I want is to be able to walk off the end of that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I’ve had this group… give everything for the last two days.
“All the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can we just wait for the end of the game?”
There was another ovation for Stokes as he led England off the field at tea and one more – plus a guard of honour from his teammates and New Zealand’s batters – as he led them back on for the final session of the day.
The 35-year-old, who made his international debut in 2011, has captained England’s Test team since 2022.
Known for his fearless batting and defiant leadership, Stokes helped England win their first 50-over World Cup seven years ago with an unbeaten 84 in the final.
His 135 not out at Headingley the same summer, which guided England to a one-wicket win over Australia after they had been bowled out for 67 in the first innings, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test innings of all time.
“We are losing a batsman, a bowler, a captain and a talisman,” said ECB chair Richard Thompson in a statement.
“His performances under pressure, his relentless competitiveness and his ability to produce the extraordinary when it matters most have given me and millions of other fans memories that will endure forever.”
Stokes had been dropped from the second Test against New Zealand this month amid an investigation into a nightclub incident where he and teammate Gus Atkinson were alleged to have broken curfew. He was later cleared to return to the side.
In 2017, Stokes was arrested over a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub and was indefinitely suspended by the ECB. His court appearances were followed closely in the media, and he eventually accepted a misconduct charge and returned to cricket in February 2018.
Despite the off-field controversies, Stokes has also had a huge on-field influence, helping implement a cultural reset in the England team, partnering with coach Brendan McCullum to introduce an aggressive brand of cricket quickly nicknamed “Bazball.”
Adopting this swashbuckling approach, England in 2022 chased down a record target of 378 against India in 76.2 overs and swept a series 3-0 against reigning world test champions New Zealand.
The same year, Stokes delivered a player-of-the-match performance at the T20 World Cup final to help England win the tournament for the second time.
Source: Khaleej Times