England captain Ben Stokes has left everyone stunned with his sudden retirement from the international cricket. The ongoing third Test match between England against New Zealand at Trent Bridge will mark the conclusion of Ben Stokes’s illustrious international cricket career, as the England captain has announced his retirement.
Ben Stokes retires from international cricket
Stokes has been a cornerstone of English cricket, famously steering the nation to its historic 2019 World Cup victory and providing transformative, inspirational leadership to the Test squad since taking over the captaincy from Joe Root in 2022.
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In an incredible twist of timing, a BBC report revealed that Ben Stokes was actively in the middle of a bowling spell when the official statement announcing his international retirement was publically released. Almost poetically, on the very first delivery following the announcement, Stokes claimed the wicket of Zak Foulkes, who was caught at second slip.
Stokes' 15-year-long illustrious career comes to an end
This retirement brings to an end a legendary 15-year international career, highlighted by his unforgettable performance for England in the 2019 50-over World Cup final victory against New Zealand. Over his career, Stokes represented his country in 122 Test matches, leading the national side as captain in 44 of them. His extensive white-ball resume features 114 One-Day Internationals and 43 T20 Internationals.