England captain Ben Stokes has made a stunning announcement to retire from international cricket at the conclusion of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand.
All-rounder Stokes, one of the finest cricketers to ever play for England, was in the middle of a bowling spell at Trent Bridge when a statement was released confirming his intention to end a 15-year international career.
Incredibly, with the first delivery after news of his retirement was made public, Stokes took a wicket, having Zak Foulkes caught at second slip.
The 35-year-old missed England’s second Test after being involved in an incident in a London nightclub.
Before his return to leading the team in Nottingham, he referred only to leading the team “this week”.
And Stokes told his England team-mates of his decision before the fourth day of the deciding Test against the Black Caps.
Clearly emotional as he spoke in the England dressing room, Stokes said: “The reasons can wait, but I’ve had many trips to the well before for this team, for you blokes, for people beforehand and I’ve got one more trip to do.
“The only thing that I ask, please, is can everyone do the same.
“We’ve got a lot of hard work to do and the only thing I want is to be able to walk off that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I’ve had this group give everything for the last two days.
“That’s the only thing I want, for everyone to give it not only for me, selfishly, but also for this team.
“I’ve got the emotional side out of it, now it’s time to go to work. Please, everyone else come with me.”
For Stokes, it is an astonishing conclusion to a stellar career that produced some of the most iconic moments in English sporting history.
In the summer of 2019, his incredible 84 helped England win the World Cup for the first time, defeating New Zealand in what many regard to be the greatest game of cricket ever played.
Six weeks later, Stokes was at it again, this time defeating Australia in the third Ashes Test at Headingley almost single-handedly with 135 not out.
His exploits that summer led to Stokes being named as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Overall, the Durham man will have played 122 Tests for England, 44 of which as captain. He played 114 one-day internationals and 43 T20s, including a starring role in the T20 2022 World Cup final.
In characteristic fashion, Stokes was in the middle of a tireless spell on Sunday, attempting to haul his team back into the third Test, when the news broke.
Stokes had just completed his 10th successive over in the period after lunch and was fielding at mid-off when the news filtered around Trent Bridge.
In an electric atmosphere, with supporters on their feet, Stokes was roared to the crease. Foulkes’ edge was held at second slip by vice-captain Harry Brook, Stokes’ likely successor.
Stokes’ status as one of the best all-rounders to play Test cricket is underlined by a career haul of 7,243 runs and 252 wickets — and counting. Legendary figures Sir Garfield Sobers of West Indies and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis are the only two men to have achieved such a double. Stokes’ 136 sixes in Test cricket is also a record.
Beyond the individual achievements, Stokes will be remembered for his style of captaincy — the ‘Bazball’ revolution brought about when he assumed control of the Test side with head coach Brendon McCullum in 2022.
Revitalising a team that had won only one of its previous 17 Tests, Stokes and McCullum encouraged attacking, fearless cricket and enjoyed immediate success; England won 10 of their first 11 Tests in charge. (BBC Sport)
