Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of England's third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Stokes told his team this morning before play began in Nottingham that he is calling time on his England career. He was in the middle of a bowling spell in New Zealand's second innings when the annoucnement was made that he was bringing an end to his 15-year stint in an England shirt. The first ball after the news was broadcast around the ground, Stokes took the wicket of Zak Foulkes to leave New Zealand eight wickets down.
The 35-year-old Stokes missed England's previous Test match against New Zealand after being involved in a breach of team protocols while celebrating victory in the first game of the series at Lord's. He returned to captain the side at Nottingham following speculation that he would retire in the aftermath of the incident the week before.
He will end his career with 122 Test match caps since his debut in the 2013 Ashes. As well as his contribution in the Test format, Stokes will retire as a white-ball England great, having played decisive roles in their 2019 World Cup victory and 2022 T20 World Cup win.
In a video put out on the ECB's social media feeds, Stokes was clearly emotional as he told his teammates of his decision. "The reasons can wait, why, but 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 that I ask, please, is can everyone do the same."
Stokes' career will be remembered for some of the most iconic moments in English cricket in recent history. The summer of 2019 saw him help England win the 50-over World Cup for the first time, playing an astonishing innings in the final at Lord's which culminated in a super over. Less than two months later, he scored 135 not out as England pulled off a remarkable one-wicket win over Australia at Headingley to keep the Ashes alive.
Earlier in the Test at Nottingham, he became only the fourth all-rounder in history to take 250 Test wickets and score 5,000 Test runs.
More to follow...
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
