Ben Stokes Announces Retirement from International Cricket Mid-Match at Trent Bridge: The End of an Era

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Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday June 28 while on the field in the middle of a bowling spell during day four of the deciding third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. The news broke to the crowd at approximately 3pm as Stokes completed his 11th over, with his teammates having been told in the dressing room before the start of play. What followed was one of the most extraordinary and emotional scenes in Test cricket history: the Trent Bridge crowd rose as one to give Stokes a standing ovation, and he responded with the very next ball by taking the wicket of Zak Foulkes. The man announced his retirement and then immediately took a wicket. That is Ben Stokes.

The retirement ends a 15-year international career that took Stokes from a Durham tearaway to the defining cricketer of his generation. He played 122 Tests, 114 ODIs and 43 T20 internationals. The career's peak moments are indelible: the unbeaten 135 at Headingley in the 2019 Ashes, the extraordinary World Cup final at Lord's, the night in Rawalpindi where England scored 506 on the first day, the Edgbaston run chase of 378, the leadership of the Bazball revolution alongside coach Brendon McCullum. Under Stokes England won nine of their first ten Tests after winning just one of the previous 17. He captained England in 81 Test matches.

The announcement came days after Stokes was cleared of wrongdoing by the Cricket Regulator following a nightclub incident in early June that had seen him and Gus Atkinson dropped for the second Test. The timing of the retirement, in the middle of a series decider while England are fighting with their backs to the wall chasing a substantial total, has the hallmarks of a man who wanted to go out fighting rather than bowing out gently. The series is level 1-1 going into the final day on Monday.

Ben Stokes: England captain to retire from international cricket after New Zealand serieswww.skysports.com