Ben Stokes has finally explained the deeply personal reasons behind one of the most shocking retirement announcements in modern cricket, revealing the emotional scars of England’s disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia left him feeling “no more fight” to continue representing his country.The England captain stunned the cricketing world on Sunday by announcing he would retire from all international cricket at the conclusion of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable 15-year career. Speaking candidly after the game, the 35-year-old dismissed speculation surrounding recent off-field controversies and instead pointed to the emotional, physical and mental exhaustion that had built up since England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.
‘I don’t think I have any more fight left in me’
In an emotional explanation, Stokes revealed that the turning point came when he confessed his feelings to his wife.“The emotional side of it from Australia … the way I said it to my wife was, ‘I actually don’t think I’ve got the fight left to get over this, to be honest,'” Stokes told Sky Sports.The English skipper admitted that the realization hit him more than he expected.“It literally is. You go through this whole process, you talk to people who are close to you and you start letting more and more. The more I talked to my wife and others about it, you end up taking things further and further back,” he added.Stokes said he has always prided himself on overcoming setbacks throughout his career, whether on or off the field, but this time has proved different.“Another thing that I’ve had over the last five or six weeks is … it was something else that I felt like I had to try to overcome. I felt like I’ve been pretty good at that throughout my career—overcoming disappointment on the field, disappointment off the field—but this was different.”
‘What we do is brutal’
Aside from the emotional toll, Stokes admitted that staying at the top level has become an increasingly difficult challenge.“It’s brutal what we do, physically, mentally. Even the stuff outside of that – the stuff you have to put in and the hard work – it’s getting a bit tiring these days,” he admitted.At age 35, simply getting his body ready for competition became a battle in itself.“I feel like I have to do so much physical work to keep doing what I’m doing out there. “Do I have that fight in me to keep doing it because of what I know it takes to walk out there and play for this country?” he said.The answer, he admitted, was no.“There are so many things that led me to know that this was the right decision – the emotional side, the physical side, the mental side.”
A difficult but necessary parting
Stokes revealed that he had been thinking about retirement for weeks and had sought advice from those closest to him before making the final call.“I gave myself every chance to think maybe it was just a clip or something was wrong,” he said, adding that an open conversation with his family eventually convinced him it was time.Despite his heartbreak, Stokes insisted he left without any regrets.“This decision is the best thing for me right now. I hope it’s the best thing for the team moving forward, but it’s what will allow me to continue to love this game that has given me so much.”The announcement marks the end of the international career of one of England’s greatest all-rounders and captains, a player whose legacy includes an unforgettable World Cup triumph in 2019, a miraculous innings in the Headingley Ashes and a fearless “baseball” era that reshaped English Test cricket.
