England captain Ben Stokes announced on Sunday that he will retire from international cricket after the ongoing third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, ending a career that spanned 15 years.The announcement came as Stokes was in the midst of a bowling spell. England Cricket released a statement confirming the 35-year-old will retire from international cricket following the conclusion of the Test.Stokes missed England’s second Test after being involved in an incident at a London nightclub. Before returning to manage the team in Nottingham, he was only briefed to captain the team “this week”.He informed his England teammates of his decision before the start of the fourth day of the decisive Test against New Zealand.Speaking in the dressing room, an emotional Stokes said: “The reasons can wait, why, but I’ve had many times before for this team, for you guys, for people before that and I’ve got another journey to make.“The only thing I ask, please, is that everyone can do the same.”“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us and the only thing I want is to be able to leave that field, regardless of the result, knowing that this group has given everything they could for the last two days.“That’s the only thing I want, for everyone to give not only for me, selfishly, but also for this team.“I’ve taken the emotional side out of it. Now it’s time for work. Please, everyone else come with me.”For Stokes, the decision marks the end of a 15-year international career that has included some of the most memorable moments in England cricket.In the summer of 2019, he played one of the defining innings of his career, taking 84 wickets as England won the ODI World Cup for the first time by defeating New Zealand in a final that is regarded as one of the greatest matches in cricket history.Just six weeks later, Stokes produced another innings that has become part of Ashes folklore. His unbeaten 135 at Headingley led England to a stunning one-wicket victory over Australia, keeping the series alive almost single-handedly.
