Ben Stokes to retire from England duty after New Zealand Test

Ben Stokes announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of England’s third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, closing out a career that began in 2011 and made him the central figure in England’s modern Test revival. He told teammates and staff before play on June 28 that the match would be his last as captain and his last in England colours, and he was met with a standing ovation after becoming visibly emotional.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said Stokes will step down at the conclusion of the third Rothesay Test in Nottingham, ending four years as England’s Test captain. At 35, and born on June 4, 1991, in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, Stokes leaves after about 15 years in international cricket, a span that saw him become one of the most heavily used all-rounders in the game. His departure lands in the middle of a live Test, a reminder of how the modern schedule leaves little room for pause even when a player is approaching the end of a demanding career.

Inside the dressing room, Stokes put the decision bluntly. “This is my last two days as your captain and my last two days representing England,” he told teammates at the start of play. That timing matters beyond the farewell itself: England loses not only its captain but also the face of the aggressive Test identity built under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, a style that helped reset expectations for the format.

Stokes’ record gives that shift its weight. He was a decisive figure in England’s 2019 Cricket World Cup triumph, contributing an unbeaten 84 in the final, and his Headingley innings in the 2019 Ashes became one of the defining knocks of the era. In Test cricket, he set the mark for the highest score by a number six batter with 258 against South Africa, and he and Jonny Bairstow hold the world record for a sixth-wicket stand of 399.

His retirement closes a high-profile chapter for England at a time when international cricket is still trying to expand its global profile without overloading the players at its center. Stokes leaves with the numbers, the trophies and the reputation of a match-winner, but also with the cost of carrying an era that asked him to be both the captain and the symbol of England’s boldest Test cricket.