England Test captain Ben Stokes announced he will retire from international cricket after the ongoing Test against New Zealand, bringing an end to a highly successful all-format career that began to unravel over recent seasons.
Stokes, 35, made his white-ball international debut in 2011 and has captained England's Test team since 2022, becoming one of the greatest all-rounders of modern cricket.
Stokes was a critical member of England's 2019 World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup winning teams. He also played his part in many Test wins, including an all-time great effort to win the 2019 Headingley Ashes Test.
The England cricket board posted a video on social media in which Stokes made the announcement to his teammates in the dressing room during the ongoing third Test in Nottingham.
It capped a problematic period for English cricket that has been littered with issues off the field.
Stokes and Gus Atkinson were dropped from the second Test against New Zealand over a curfew breach at a nightclub.
In a video shared by the England board, Stokes told his teammates: "The only thing that I want is to be able to walk off the end of that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I've had this group... give everything for the last two days.
"All the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can we just wait for the end of the game?"
The ECB thanked Stokes for his services.
“Ben Stokes leaves the international game as one of England's greatest ever cricketers and one of the defining figures of his generation," Richard Thompson, ECB chair, said.
"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."
Stokes famously helped England win their first 50-over World Cup seven years ago with an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand at Lord's.
His unbeaten 135 at Headingley the same summer, which guided England to a one-wicket win over Australia after they had been bowled out for 67 in the first innings, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test innings of all time.
However, he had his share of controversies. In 2017, Stokes was arrested over a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub and was suspended by the England board.
He eventually accepted a misconduct charge and returned to cricket in February 2018.
