Ben Stokes announced he will retire from international cricket during the deciding third Test against New Zealand, telling his England teammates his “last two days” as captain. The series is level 1-1 heading into the fifth and final day at Trent Bridge after
Ben Stokes didn’t wait for the final whistle to change the mood at Trent Bridge.
Inside England’s dressing room at the start of play on Sunday. during Day 4 of the deciding third Test against New Zealand. the England captain told his teammates he was stepping away from international cricket. He spoke while the match was poised to run into a fifth and final day on Monday. with the series on the line at 1-1.
“This is my last two days as your captain and my last two days representing England. ” Stokes told his England teammates. The message landed as the session began—five minutes later. the shock was still in the air when he picked up a wicket moments after the tea break and walked back out to a standing ovation as he led England off at the end of the session.
“The reasons can wait [about] why,” Stokes said in his dressing-room speech. “But I’ve had many trips to the well before for this team, and I’ve got one more trip to do.”
The retirement decision is tied directly to what happens next on Monday. The match is headed to a fifth and final day, with one more chance to bend the series back into England’s favor—or let it slip away.
Stokes, 35, is one of the sport’s best-known figures. He has represented England for 15 years. with the peak widely remembered from 2019. when he starred for England in its wild 50-over World Cup final win over New Zealand at Lord’s. In 2022, he was also a key member of England’s T20 World Cup-winning team. That same year, he became Test captain.
His retirement announcement carries extra weight because it arrives while England is already living through turbulence around his place in the team. Stokes had made front-page news during this series after being dropped by England for the second Test amid an investigation following a night out with teammate Gus Atkinson after the first Test at Lord’s. The two players were in a London nightclub when an England team security official was reportedly struck by a rugby player from English club Saracens.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials dropped Stokes and Atkinson and later said they had “breached specific contractual obligations” and were given a written warning. The sport’s independent oversight panel—the Cricket Regulator body—said after its investigation there was “insufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach occurred”.
Stokes returned for the third Test.
There’s a clear, unsettling rhythm to the last few weeks: a public jolt to his position in the side, a return for the series decider, and then, in the middle of Day 4, an announcement that his leadership role—and his international career—would end before the week was out.
England’s head of the board. ECB chairman Richard Thompson. called Stokes “one of England’s greatest ever cricketers” and “one of the defining figures of his generation.” Thompson said Stokes’s “performances under pressure. his relentless competitiveness and his ability to produce the extraordinary when it matters most have given me and millions of other fans memories that will endure forever.”.
Thompson also placed the decision in a broader human frame, saying: “Beyond his remarkable achievements on the field, his performances have inspired many youngsters to embrace cricket with positivity and belief. We are losing a batsman, a bowler, a captain and a talisman.”
Now, with Trent Bridge set for a final-day finish on Monday and the series still tied at 1-1, the question isn’t only whether England can win the Test. It’s how a team plays its last two days with a captain who already knows they won’t be there after the match ends.
Ben Stokes England cricket international retirement Trent Bridge New Zealand deciding third Test series 1-1 Gus Atkinson ECB Cricket Regulator Richard Thompson