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Ben Stokes has announced his retirement as captain of England’s Test team, and from all international cricket, effective as of the end of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
The announcement was made with England in the field, and as Stokes laboured through a trademark extended bowling spell in an effort to swing the game his team’s way. Ever the man for the big occasion, he took the wicket of Zak Foulkes with the first delivery after the news broke.
Stokes missed the second game of the series as the England and Wales Cricket Board undertook an investigation into his extended celebrations following the English victory at Lord’s in the opening match, which ended in his exoneration. Joe Root, his predecessor as permanent captain, returned to the role in his absence but he has played down chances of his making a full-time comeback.
This game will be followed by a seven-week break for the red-ball side before they return for a three-match series against Pakistan in August, during which a replacement will be identified.
Stokes made his Test debut in Adelaide during the 2013-14 Ashes and the 35-year-old all-rounder is playing in his 122nd Test, placing him sixth on England’s all-time list, and his 279th international appearance. Among many career highlights, he was a key member of the England teams who won the 2019 50-over World Cup and the T20 version in 2022.
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He informed his teammates on Sunday before the start of the fourth day, with footage of his speech recorded by the ECB. “There’s something that I know is going to happen over the next two days, which is that this is my last two days as your captain, my last two days representing England,” he said.
“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. And the only thing I ask is can everyone please just be the same.
“We’ve got a lot of hard work still 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 of men, and one lady, do everything for the last two days. It’s the only thing I want, just for everyone to give it not only for me selfishly but also for this team. So let’s just go out there and give everything for another two days. Now it’s time to go to work and can everyone else please just come with me.”
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Ben Stokes' highs and lows as England captain
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The highs ...
World Cup supremo [pictured]
Without Stokes’ outright heroics in 2019, England’s men would still be looking for a first ever World Cup title. He produced an unforgettable performance in the final in front of a sold-out Lord’s – and a bumper audience on free-to-air TV – to bring home the trophy against New Zealand. His 84 not out was a thrill ride, levelling the scores from a seemingly hopeless position to force a super over. He batted again to help seal the deal and spark huge celebrations. Three years later in the T20 equivalent, Stokes came to the fore once more with an unbeaten fifty in the final against Pakistan at the MCG, as England became the first side to hold both men's white-ball World Cups simultaneously.
Miracle at Headingley
Just six weeks after his 2019 World Cup stunner, Stokes put together a batting performance that many experts rated as even more remarkable. After being bowled out for a humiliating 67 in the first innings of the third Ashes Test, Stokes inspired a national record chase of 359 on a delirious fourth day in Leeds. His last-wicket stand of 76 with number 11 Jack Leach, who accounted for just one of them, is already the stuff of cricketing folklore.
Bazball's captain fantastic
Inheriting a side that had won just once in their last 17 Tests, Stokes, alongside head coach Brendon McCullum, lifted the gloom in the summer of 2022 with a heady cocktail of relentless positivity and aggression. New Zealand, India and South Africa were all swept aside as England ransacked runs and chased down fourth-innings targets that would have seemed fanciful under any other regime.
... and the lows
The Bristol incident
Stokes was arrested in the early hours after an altercation outside the Mbargo nightclub in Bristol, following a ODI against the West Indies in September 2017. He was found not guilty on a charge of affray 11 months later, but by then had missed a crucial Ashes series and briefly lost the vice-captaincy. He credits England teammate and great friend Joe Root’s support for helping him through.
Kolkata calamity
England were six balls away from landing the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, with the West Indies needing an unlikely 19 off the final over of the tournament. Stokes, who had emerged as a bankable death bowler, stepped up and was promptly launched for four consecutive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite. He cut a crestfallen figure among the Caribbean celebrations – but would soon bounce back.
Dropped, then reinstated
With questions of a drinking culture not yet banished after a chastening 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, Stokes was stood down along with Gus Atkinson for the recent second Test against New Zealand for breaking a team curfew after an incident in a nightclub. The pair returned to the England XI after a disciplinary investigation concluded Stokes was not involved in the altercation that saw two “unprovoked attacks” on teammate Atkinson. PA Media
Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP
On social media, alongside a video of Stokes telling his teammates the news, England Cricket posted: “One of England’s all-time greatest captains, Ben Stokes, has decided to retire from international cricket at the end of this Test match.
”Ben, you have been the most inspirational captain, leader and legend this team could have ever hoped for. We love you so much and wish you all the best in your retirement. England will never be the same again.”
