England Test captain Stokes to retire from international cricket

NOTTINGHAM (Agencies): England Test captain Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the current Test against New Zealand, ‌the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a career that included the 2019 World Cup triumph and one of the most celebrated Ashes innings of the modern era at Headingley the same year. When the news was announced at Trent Bridge it drew a standing ovation from the crowd. The timing may have been intended to ​inspire his teammates to deliver one last win for him, with England’s backs to the wall in the deciding third Test, and Stokes, ​playing in his 122nd test, took a wicket with his first ball afterwards. In a video shared by the ECB, Stokes ⁠told his teammates: “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… give everything for the last two days.” “All the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can we just wait for the ​end of the game?”

There was another ovation for Stokes as he led England off the field at tea and one more – plus a guard of honour from his teammates and New Zealand’s batters – as he led them back on for the final session of the day. The 35-year-old, who made his international debut in 2011, has captained England’s Test team since ​2022 and had been contracted until the end of 2027, meaning he could have played in one more Ashes series next summer. Known for his fearless ​batting and defiant leadership, Stokes helped England win their first 50-over World Cup seven years ago with an unbeaten 84 in the final. His unbeaten 135 at Headingley the same ‌summer, which ⁠guided England to a one-wicket win over Australia after they had been bowled out for 67 in the first innings, is widely regarded as one of the greatest test innings of all time.

‘LOSING A TALISMAN’

“We are losing a batsman, a bowler, a captain and a talisman,” said ECB chair Richard Thompson in a statement. “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.” Stokes had ​been dropped for the second Test against ⁠New Zealand this month amid an ECB investigation into his involvement in a late-night incident at a London nightclub following the first test win at Lord’s. He was subsequently cleared of anything worse than breaking a team curfew and ​was cleared to return to the side. In 2017, Stokes was arrested over a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub and ​was indefinitely suspended by ⁠the ECB. His court appearances were followed closely in the media, and he eventually accepted a misconduct charge and returned to cricket in February 2018. Despite the off-field controversies, Stokes has also had a huge on-field influence, helping implement a cultural reset in the England team, partnering with coach Brendan McCullum to introduce an aggressive brand ⁠of cricket ​quickly nicknamed “Bazball.” Adopting this swashbuckling approach, England in 2022 chased down a record target of 378 ​against India in just 76.2 overs and swept a series 3-0 against reigning world test champions New Zealand. The same year, Stokes delivered a player-of-the-match performance at the T20 World Cup final to help ​England win the tournament for the second time.