Ben Stokes has announced his retirement as England Test captain and from international cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement issued Sunday.
Stokes will end his England career following the conclusion of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham.
As news spread of the 35-year-old all-rounder’s decision, he received a standing ovation from the crowd at Trent Bridge, and there were more cheers shortly afterwards when he dismissed New Zealand’s Zak Foulkes on the fourth day of the third and deciding Test of a three-match series.
Sunday’s announcement came after Stokes returned to England duty at Trent Bridge after being omitted from a 253-run defeat in the second Test at the Oval for breaking a midnight curfew, alongside teammate Gus Atkinson, while celebrating at a London nightclub following the first-Test win over New Zealand.
’Talismanic figure’
Telling his teammates his celebrated England career would soon end, Stokes said in a clip shared by the ECB: “There’s something that I know is going to happen over the next two days, which is my last two days as your captain and my last two days representing England.
“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 that I ask, please, is can everyone please just do the same? We’ve got a lot of hard work still to do, and 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 of men and one lady (fielding coach Sarah Taylor) give everything for the last two days.” Stokes, captain of the Test side since 2022, has been responsible for some of England’s most remarkable performances in Test and limited-overs cricket since making his white-ball debut 15 years ago.
His unbeaten 84 against New Zealand in the 2019 50-over World Cup final at Lord’s helped take the match into a Super Over in which England sealed a thrilling win.
And weeks later, his extraordinary 135 not out guided England to a remarkable one-wicket win in the third Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley.
A stunning 258 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2016 remains his highest Test score, with Stokes also having taken more than 250 Test wickets as well.
“Ben Stokes leaves the international game as one of England’s greatest ever cricketers and one of the defining figures of his generation,” said ECB chairman Richard Thompson.
“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.
“Whether inspiring victory in the biggest moments — not least driving England to World Cup wins in 2019 and 2022 and his heroic Ashes innings at Headingley — or leading the Test team with courage and conviction, Ben has been a talismanic figure in English cricket,” Thompson added.