England Test captain Ben Stokes announces retirement from international cricket at 35 after 15-year career

The announcement

England Test captain Ben Stokes announced on Sunday that he will retire from all international cricket at the end of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. He informed his teammates in the dressing room before the start of day four and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released the news while he was on the field, midway through an 11-over bowling spell. The crowd at Nottingham gave him a standing ovation. Stokes is playing his 122nd Test and 279th international appearance for England, with his first game coming in 2011.

A career of defining moments

Stokes retires as one of England's most celebrated cricketers. His unbeaten 84 in the 2019 50-over World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's secured England a first title after a tied match and a super over. The same summer, his unbeaten 135 at Headingley rescued an Ashes Test after England had been bowled out for 67 in the first innings, a knock widely regarded as among the greatest in Test history. He was also a key figure in England's T20 World Cup triumph in 2022, the year he became Test captain. The all-rounder made his Test debut during the 2013-14 Ashes in Adelaide and has since captained the red-ball side since 2022.

This is my last two days as your captain and my last two days representing England. Reasons can wait. I've had many trips to the well before for this team and I've got one more trip to do.

The disciplinary backdrop

Stokes retired during a series in which he had been dropped for the second Test after an ECB investigation into a night out with teammate Gus Atkinson following the first match at Lord's. The two players were in a London nightclub when a team security official was reportedly struck by a rugby player. The ECB suspended Stokes and later said he had breached contractual obligations and gave a written warning. An independent Cricket Regulator investigation found insufficient evidence of a regulatory breach, and Stokes was recalled for the deciding third Test.

Reactions

ECB chair Richard Thompson described Stokes as one of England's greatest ever cricketers and a defining figure of his generation, praising his competitiveness and ability to produce the extraordinary when it mattered most. Former teammate Stuart Broad, speaking on Sky Sports, called him a talisman of English cricket and a complete match-winner who was always there in the big moments. The announcement was met with a standing ovation from the Trent Bridge crowd, and Stokes fittingly took a wicket with his first ball after the news broke, having Zak Foulkes caught by Harry Brook at second slip.

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.

A talisman of English cricket. He will be remembered wearing that Three Lions with a crown on top very proudly. A complete match-winner, someone that won't look at the numbers, look at the moments of his career.