Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on one of the most celebrated careers in English cricket history, with the 35-year-old set to play his final Test at Trent Bridge.
The announcement comes in the wake of a nightclub incident following England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s, in which Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson broke the team’s curfew and became involved in a fracas with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa. An England security officer was left needing stitches. The ECB launched an immediate investigation and Stokes was dropped from the squad for the second Test, with Joe Root stepping in to lead the side.
The ECB had given Stokes room to weigh up his options, having been alarmed by the prospect of the England captain retiring altogether. The governing body held an emergency executive board meeting amid strong suggestions Stokes was ready to call time on a 15-year career. The retirement announcement ends that period of uncertainty.
Stokes took over as England’s Test captain in 2022 and transformed the side, overseeing a swashbuckling approach to the game that became known as “Bazball,” in partnership with head coach Brendon McCullum. Under his captaincy, England won 24 of 43 Tests, though his own form with the bat had declined sharply in recent months, averaging just 26.31 in 19 innings over the past year.
He will end his England career in the Third Rothesay Test at Trent Bridge — the ground where he made his maiden first-class century as a teenager — in a final chapter that will be watched by a nation that has watched him produce some of the most dramatic moments in English sporting history, including his match-winning century in the 2019 World Cup final and his extraordinary 135 not out against Australia at Headingley that same year.
