England Test captain Ben Stokes to retire from international cricket

Ben Stokes has announced his retirement as England Test captain and from international cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement issued Sunday. Stokes will end his England career following the conclusion of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham. As news spread of the 35-year-old all-rounder’s decision, he received a standing ovation from the crowd at Trent Bridge, and there were more cheers shortly afterwards when he dismissed New Zealand’s Zak Foulkes on the fourth day of the third and deciding Test of a three-match series. Sunday’s announcement came after Stokes returned to England duty at Trent Bridge after being omitted from a 253-run defeat in the second Test at the Oval for breaking a midnight curfew, alongside teammate Gus Atkinson, while celebrating at a London nightclub following the first-Test win over New Zealand. “Ben Stokes leaves the international game as one of England’s greatest ever cricketers and one of the defining figures of his generation,” said ECB chairman Richard Thompson. “His 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. “Whether inspiring victory in the biggest moments — not least driving England to World Cup wins in 2019 and 2022 and his heroic Ashes innings at Headingley — or leading the Test team with courage and conviction, Ben has been a talismanic figure in English cricket,” Thompson added.