Ben Stokes Announces International Retirement During England’s Third Test Against New Zealand at Trent Bridge

England captain Ben Stokes announced his impending retirement from international cricket during the third and deciding Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, with the news released 15 minutes before the tea interval on Day 4.

“England captain Ben Stokes stunned the world of cricket overnight by announcing his impending retirement from the international game — in the middle of a Test match he was playing against New Zealand”

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Stokes then took a wicket with his first ball after the announcement went public, getting an edge off New Zealand batter Zak Foulkes to second slip where the catch was taken by Harry Brook.

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He followed by smashing 30 off 20 balls after deciding to open the batting, as England closed day four on 103-4 chasing 373.

The BBC said the drama began at 15:25 BST when a statement was circulated confirming that this Test is Stokes' last, and it described the moment as “the most Ben thing ever” after Joe Root’s reaction.

The Guardian reported that Stokes broke the news to the dressing room on Sunday morning and said “It was shock,” adding that Brendon McCullum “was pretty taken aback.”

Stokes’ retirement announcement landed amid a turbulent period for England, with the BBC noting he returned for this Test after missing the second game following an incident in a London nightclub.

The Guardian said Stokes described the week around the nightclub fallout as “a very, very strange week” that “brought back some negative feelings about where I was in my career.”

BBC

In the dressing room, Stokes told teammates “The reasons can wait [about] why,” and said “But I’ve had many trips to the well before for this team and I’ve got one more trip to do.”

Joe Root, who the Guardian said was among the first to find out about the decision on Saturday night, said: “Someone I’ve spoken to quite a lot around this stuff is Joe, and he gets it,” and Stokes added, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever been asked to do, captain this team and captain this country.”

The BBC also quoted Root’s framing of the on-field moment, describing it as “the most Ben thing ever,” as Stokes took a wicket with his first delivery after the retirement was confirmed.

With New Zealand declaring their second innings on 288-9 after Daryl Mitchell completed a century, England faced a mountainous chase of 373 and were 103-4 at stumps, leaving them needing 269 more runs to win.

The BBC said Stokes left the Test arena for the final time with his bat and helmet held aloft, saluting a rapturous ovation, and it added that Stokes will play no further part in his final Test.

Sky Sports said England head into the fifth and final day on 103-4, needing a further 270 to win, and it described the shock news breaking at 3.25pm in the midst of an 11-over unchanged spell between lunch and tea.

The Guardian reported that after the conclusion of this game the red-ball side will be out of action for seven weeks, before the first of three games against Pakistan starts in August, giving time for a replacement to be identified.

The Guardian also noted that Harry Brook captains the white‑ball teams and has been Stokes’s vice-captain, while it described Stokes’ retirement as effective as of the end of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.