Ben Stokes announced a shock retirement from international cricket on the penultimate day of England's Test series decider against New Zealand. His decision will bring a 15-year England career and a four-year tenure as Test captain to a close at the end of the ongoing third Test at Trent Bridge.
Stokes told his team-mates and the ECB his decision on Sunday morning, before the start of play. He was visibly emotional and choked up when he spoke in the dressing room, imploring his team-mates to "go out there and f***ing give absolutely everything for another two days". He was given a standing ovation by England's players and coaching staff.
Stokes told his team-mates that "reason can wait [as to] why" he had retired, but his decision comes soon after he missed the second Test at The Oval on disciplinary grounds. He was not considered for selection while the ECB and the Cricket Regulator investigated his celebrations following England's win at Lord's, and he was later cleared of any serious wrongdoing.
He had hinted at the possibility that this Test could be his last in his pre-match press conference. Stokes was asked whether he was committed to seeing out the rest of his central contract, which runs until September 2027, and said only: "I am very clear that I am focused on the outcome of this week."
The ECB announced the news shortly before tea on the fourth day at Trent Bridge, just after Stokes had completed the 10th over of a second mammoth spell. He received a rousing ovation from the crowd when he returned for an 11th, and immediately had Zak Foulkes caught at second slip off the following delivery, prompting wild celebrations.
He was given a guard of honour by the on-field umpires, New Zealand's batters, and his England team-mates before walking onto the field after the tea interval, ending with a congratulatory high-five and a hug from Joe Root, his close friend and predecessor as captain.
Stokes' decision leaves England's Test team in a deepening crisis. They had won two of their last nine Tests heading into this series decider, and will need to chase more than 300 in the fourth innings in Nottingham to avoid a first defeat in a home series of three or more Tests since 2012.
His returns with the bat have declined in recent years but he has been their best bowler over the past 12 months and they missed him badly in their heavy defeat last week. Nor is there an obvious successor: Root deputised at The Oval and could potentially fill an interim role, while Harry Brook is his vice-captain but was overlooked last week, in the wake of his own off-field issues during the winter.
Stokes' dynamic with head coach Brendon McCullum was tested by their 4-1 defeat in Australia last winter and though both men have since insisted that they remain close, there was a clear divergence in their approaches. His relationship with ECB "suits" has long been frosty and was further tested by his perception of how they handled the recent nightclub saga.
Notably, Stokes was not quoted in the ECB's statement announcing his retirement, which featured comments from chair Richard Thompson and chief executive Richard Gould.
Stokes has not yet confirmed whether he will continue to play cricket elsewhere. He has not played a limited-overs international since the 2023 World Cup in India, and has not featured in a white-ball match of any description since injuring his hamstring while playing in the Hundred in August 2024.
He became only the second player, after Jacques Kallis, to complete a 7000-run, 250-wicket double in Test cricket on the second day at Trent Bridge, and has produced countless remarkable individual performances across his international career - most notably in the summer of 2019, when his heroic innings at Lord's helped England to their first-ever 50-over World Cup and he single-handedly rescued a one-wicket win in the Ashes at Headingley.
He took over from Root as England's Test captain in 2022, joining forces with McCullum, and led them to 11 wins in his first 13 matches in charge while playing an ultra-attacking brand of cricket. But results have since tailed off, and he will retire without leading England to victory in a series of more than three Tests.