England captain Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the third Test against New Zealand, the England team announced on Sunday. The shock announcement was made mid-way through the fourth day 4 of the ongoing Test at Trent Bridge.
According to a report by BBC, Stokes was actually in the middle of a bowling spell when a statement on his behalf was released. And right after the announcement, with his first delivery, Stokes picked up the wicket of Zak Foulkes (caught at second slip by vice captain Harry Brook, who could replace Stokes at the helm).
Retirement means Stokes will pull curtains on a 15-year international career that peaked when he starred for England in its win over New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup final in 2019. In his career, Stokes played 122 Tests for England. Of these, 44 of which were as captain of the national side. Stokes also played 114 one-day internationals and 43 T20Is. this includes the role he played in the T20 2022 World Cup final.
He also was a key player in England T20 World Cup-winning team in 2022, the same year he became Test captain.
