England captain Ben Stokes indulged his maverick tendencies to the end – taking a wicket with his first ball after announcing his international retirement and then opening the batting against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Stokes, 35, stunned the cricket world by revealing his decision at 3.25pm on the fourth day of the third Test.
Within two minutes, word had spread round the stands at Trent Bridge, and he walked back to his mark to begin a 25th over of the innings to a standing ovation.
In typical fashion, Stokes roared into the crease on a wave of noise from the near 17,000 crowd and found the edge of Zak Foulkes’ bat, the ball flying low to Harry Brook at second slip.
Later, after New Zealand set England a 373-run target in the series decider, he emerged alongside Ben Duckett in a new first-wicket partnership, arriving at the crease through a guard of honour formed by his opponents and umpires Nitin Menon and Rod Tucker and contributing a 19-ball 30 to a stand worth exactly 50.
The bombshell news came only days after he returned to lead the team, having missed the 253-run defeat at the Oval while under investigation by the Cricket Regulator and ECB for a post-midnight incident in a Chelsea nightclub in the aftermath of first Test victory at Lord’s.
Ben Stokes’ England career on the field came to an end after he was caught for 30
Ben Stokes informed his England team-mates before play that he will retire from international cricket after the fourth Test against New Zealand
Stokes told the team of his decision to call time on a 15-year England career before play on the fourth day.
‘Reasons can wait,’ he told his team-mates in an emotional dressing room address.
Adding: ‘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 else 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 – give everything for the last two days.’
Clearly trying to inspire one more amazing performance from his players as a send-off, he finished by saying: ‘The only thing I want is just for everyone to give it, not only for me, selfishly, but also for this team and everything else that we’ve got going forward for you blokes.
‘All the taps on the arse, all the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can it just wait until the end of this game? Because we’ve still got a shitload more work to do, and I’ve got a shitload more work to do that I want to do.
‘Let’s just go out there and f***ing give absolutely everything for another two days, alright? Because that’s my only intention and that’s where all my energy is right now. Got the emotional side out of it, but now it’s time to work. And everyone else, please just come with me.’
Stokes has been one of England’s most dynamic match winners, hitting a dramatic, 84 not out in the 2019 World Cup final and another unbeaten half-century to get his team over the line in winning the Twenty20 World Cup final in Australia three years later.
Stokes was applauded after making his announcement before the start of play at Trent Bridge
Stokes took the wicket of Zak Foulkes just minutes after his decision was made public
He also completed one of Test cricket’s greatest heists when he guided England to a one-wicket success over Australia in the 2019 Ashes at Headingley, scoring 74 of the final 76 runs required alongside Jack Leach, finishing on 135 not out.
Stokes – who refused to look beyond this series-deciding contest in the pre-match press conference, saying that all his focus was on this particular week – also had a transformative influence on England’s results after succeeding his close friend Joe Root as Test captain four years ago, winning 24 of 43 matches including 10 of his first 11, to usher in the Bazball era.
His retirement comes despite 15 months of a £1million a year central contract remaining.
Having withdrawn from the Indian Premier League two years ago to prioritise England commitments, he served a ban in 2025 and 2026, but will now become a sought-after signing for the 2027 auction.
Stokes was not intending to play in this year’s Hundred either, but that could now change too.
‘Ben Stokes leaves the international game as one of England’s greatest ever cricketers and one of the defining figures of his generation. 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,’ said ECB chair Richard Thompson.
‘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.
‘Beyond his remarkable achievements on the field, his performances have inspired many youngsters to embrace cricket with positivity and belief. We are losing a batsman, a bowler, a captain and a talisman.
‘On behalf of the ECB, I want to thank Ben for everything he has given to our sport and wish him and his family every success and happiness for the future.’
The departing England captain was mobbed by his team-mates after taking the wicket
It has not been an easy relationship between Stokes and his bosses, however.
Last week, despite the Cricket Regulator finding he and Surrey seamer Gus Atkinson had no case to answer for their early hours visit to Chelsea’s Rex Rooms after a 115-run win over the New Zealanders at Lord’s, the ECB reprimanded the pair with a written warning about their future conduct.
They were present when a member of England’s security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player.
During media duties before the match in Nottingham, Stokes confirmed he had apologised to his team-mates, but was non-committal when asked if he had received backing from the ECB hierarchy.
