Ben Stokes to Retire as England Captain Following New Zealand Test Series

Ben Stokes will bring down the curtain on his England Test career and step away from international cricket after the ongoing series against New Zealand.

The announcement came on the fourth day of the series decider at Trent Bridge, breaking during the afternoon session while Stokes was in the middle of his bowling spell. Remarkably, he went on to take a wicket with the very first ball after news of his decision spread around the ground in Nottingham.

The 35-year-old, who made his England debut in 2011, has led the Test side since 2022. He was contracted through to the end of 2027, a deal that would have left him available for another Ashes campaign next summer.

Instead, Stokes has chosen to end a career defined by controversy and brilliance, closing the book on an era that included England’s 2019 World Cup victory and his iconic Headingley Ashes innings in the same year.

Reaction quickly followed, where Stuart Broad described Stokes as “an absolute talisman of English cricket… someone who’s always been there in the big moments, giving absolutely everything.”

Chris Woakes also paid tribute, saying: “Ben Stokes, thank you, from myself and on behalf of every England cricket supporter out there. So many incredible memories.”

Stokes’ future had already been the subject of discussion after he was left out of the second Test against New Zealand earlier in the series, following an investigation into an incident at a London nightclub.

He returned to lead England in the series decider and informed his teammates of his decision before the start of day four at Trent Bridge.

In a message to the squad, Stokes said: “This is my last two days as your captain and the last two days representing England.

“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.

“We’ve got a lot of hard work to do and the only thing I want is to be able to walk off that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I’ve had this group give everything for the last two days.

“That’s the only thing I want is for everyone to give it, not only for me, selfishly, but also for this team and everything else we’ve got going forward for you blokes.

“I’ve got the emotional side out of it. Now it’s time to go to work. Please, everyone else come with me.”

Across his Test career, Stokes made 122 appearances for England and became one of only two players in history to score more than 7,000 runs and take over 250 wickets in the format.

He walked off to a standing ovation at tea after the announcement was confirmed, before later returning to the field to a guard of honour from his teammates at the start of the evening session.