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Ben Stokes retirement - (Source: X.com)
In a significant development, England captain Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from international cricket. The ECB took to twitter to confirm that the 35-year-old will bid adieu to the game after the 3rd Test between England and New Zealand.
The decision has come days after Ben Stokes marked return to England cricket following a suspension. For the unversed, Stokes had violated a night curfew during the 1st Test vs New Zealand, which resulted in a nightclub scuffle.
Ben Stokes Gets Emotional Announcing Retirement
Notably, Stokes kept his decision to retire under the wraps. The 35-year-old made his decision public during tea on Day 4 of the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge. ECB shared the video of the uncomfortable confrontation.
The 35-year-old got emotional while conveying his retirement news to his teammates. Notably, before the start of the 3rd Test, there were rumours that Stokes might hang up his boots but the England captain didn't give anything away during pre-match presser.
These two days will be my last as your captain and my last as representing England. Reasons can wait, why... ummm, but I have had many trips to the well before," remarked Stokes in his dressing room speech.
Why Did Ben Stokes Announce International Retirement?
Stokes didn't reveal the reason behind his shocking decision, but everything suspects towards the nightclub drama. For the unversed when Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke the midnight curfew, they headed to the bar and got into a fight.
Stokes and Atkinson's unregistered visit to the bar created ruckus as they got engaged in a fight with a local rugby player. When the mattter Reached ECB, the board started an investigation and suspended the duo for the 2nd Test, where Joe Root was named stand-in captain.
The investigation concluded that Stokes and Atkinson had no role in the fight, which opened the doors for their return to the England team for 3rd Test. The retirement has come as a shock for everyone because Ashes will come in 2027.
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Ben Stokes International Career
For the unversed, the England star all-rounder is not active in T20Is and ODIs for the last 3 years. He is only active in Test cricket. The 35-year-old has enjoyed an illustrious career.
Talking about the numbers, Stokes has scored 11291 runs in 354 innings across formats. The star all-rounder has also 352 wickets to his name in Tests, ODI, and T20I combined.
Moments after announcing his international retirement, Ben returned for the 3rd session, and immediately picked up a wicket to end his career on a high.
Also, in the ongoing match, the red-ball talisman has scripted a unique record as he became the 2nd player in Test history after Jacques Kallis to score 7000+ Test runs and also pick up 350 wickets.
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