Ben Stokes, England test captain, to retire from international cricket

England test captain Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the ongoing test match against New Zealand.England captain Ben Stokes has made the dramatic decision to announce his imminent retirement from international cricket midway through the deciding third test against New Zealand.“This is my last two days as your captain and my last two days representing England,” Stokes told his England teammates inside the dressing room on Sunday at the start of play at Trent Bridge on Day 4, in a video released on social media by England-cricket" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="154316" data-entity-type="organization">England Cricket.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4FIFA World Cup 2026: How can your team reach the final?This article will be opened in a new browser windowlist 2 of 4World Cup: Top 5 biggest takeaways from the group stagelist 3 of 4FIFA World Cup Day 18: Knockout bracket set as round of 32 gets under waylist 4 of 4World Cup: Top 5 high-profile VAR and officiating controversies so farend of listThe match is headed to a fifth and final day on Monday, with the series on the line at 1-1.The shocking announcement came 15 minutes before the tea break. Stokes picked up a wicket moments later and was given 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.”Stokes, 35, one of the world’s best known cricketers, has represented England for 15 years, the peak surely coming in 2019 when he starred for England in its wild win over New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup final at Lord’s.He was also a key player in England’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2022, the same year he became test captain.Stokes has decided to quit international cricket during a series when he made front-page news 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.