4 min readJun 29, 2026 08:38 AM IST
Ben Stokes stunned the cricket world on Sunday as he announced his immediate retirement from international cricket at the end of the ongoing Test match between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge. The England Test captain has been in the eye of a storm for the past few weeks after being involved in an altercation with a Saracens rugby player in a nightclub alongside teammate Gus Atkinson after the first Test at Lord’s.
Returning to lead the side this week after a one-match suspension, Stokes broke the news of his retirement to his teammates in the dressing room mid-way through Day 4 of the Test match, where the hosts were eventually set a target of 353. The 35-year-old later explained the reason behind his decision to call it quits.
ALSO READ | Ben Stokes retires: the bottle, the kit bag, and a career like no other
“Since the Ashes, it’s been really tough,” said Stokes, who was appointed England’s longest-format captain in 2022. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever been asked to do, to captain this team and captain this country. As good as it is, there are parts where it does drain you, and it does affect you in an emotional way.”
“I said to my wife ‘I don’t actually think I have anymore fight left in me to get over this to be honest.'”
Ben Stokes explains his decision to retire 🔊 pic.twitter.com/NcLDpdJCy7
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 28, 2026
Stokes said he revealed the physical and mental exhaustion of his situation to his wife before finalising his decision.
“Over the last five or six weeks, it felt like something else I had to try and overcome. I feel like I’ve been pretty good at that throughout my career-at overcoming on-field and off-field disappointment. But the emotional side of this since Australia… the way I described it to my wife is that I don’t actually think I have any more fight left in me to get over this, to be honest,” he told Sky Sports at stumps on Sunday.
“I’m pretty happy and content with everything I’ve managed to do,” he said. “I’ve captained, I’m an Ashes winner, I’ve won a 50-over World Cup and a T20 World Cup. I’ve also had the opportunity to captain the team and play alongside some of the best players to have played the game.”
“What we do is brutal-physically, mentally, and all of that. Even the stuff away from the game, the hard work you have to put in, is just getting a bit tiring these days. At thirty-five, I feel like I have to do so much physical work just to keep doing what I do out there. I had to ask myself, ‘Do I have that in me? Do I have that fight in me to keep doing that?’ because I know exactly what it takes to walk out there and play for this country.
Story continues below this ad
“So, there are many things that have leaned me towards knowing that this is the right decision. There is the emotional side, the physical side, the mental side, and, yeah,” he concluded.
Stokes bows out with over 10,000 international runs and 300-plus wickets, including the rare distinction of being just the third player to bag 7000-plus Test runs and 200-plus wickets after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis.
The left-hander opened the batting in his final walk to the crease and played a quickfire cameo with two sixes in the chase before holing out on 30 off 20 deliveries.