Ben Stokes called time on his international career in the middle of the Nottingham Test against New Zealand. But he had already checked out mentally at the start of the series at Lord’s. And possibly some time before that as he prepared to pick himself up again after a devastating Ashes series defeat in Australia.
"The Lord's Test, for me, was something that brought back negative feelings about where I was in my career," Stokes told Sky Sports after his peculiar retirement announcement that was made by the England board during day four of the third Test.
"I had worked so hard since getting home [from Australia] to put things right. Or at least that's what I thought I was doing. I put so much time and effort into doing that and I just burned myself out."
A lot happened during the Ashes late last year and in the months that followed. Not only did England lose the series 4-1, but behavioural issues brought even more scrutiny.
The England cricket board was forced to investigate reports of players partying excessively during a mid-Ashes break. Before that, white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched in the face by a bouncer at a nightclub in New Zealand. Brook did not reveal all the details about the incident initially.
Stokes was hoping to put it all behind him as he prepared for the new season in February, only to suffer a horrific facial injury while training. That delayed his comeback to competitive cricket.
And when he did return, England won the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. It was a moment to celebrate, which Stokes did.
Unfortunately, he broke an apparent team curfew and was involved in an unsavoury incident at a nightclub where the team’s security personnel required stitches. However, there is no clarity over whether the rules of the curfew were set in stone.
Stokes and Gus Atkinson were omitted from the team for the second Test. He was later cleared to return to the side for the third Test, by which time Stokes’ career was as good as over. The announcement was a mere formality.
Here was arguably the greatest England match-winner concluding his playing career abruptly during a Test with the team going down in flames. The Test team suffered an eighth defeat in 14 Tests since the start of last season. And they have been this bad for successive seasons, struggling to win big series or challenge for the World Test Championship.
But is all of this only down to Stokes and no one else? There are two seemingly more influential figures around England cricket who have managed to dodge scrutiny thus far, partially because the players themselves have ended up committing acts that have stolen the spotlight.
Brendon McCullum was brought into the England set-up aiming to electrify the way they play Test cricket. That was the singular target of Stokes and the team that had already conquered ODI and T20 cricket.
‘Bazball’ became a thing. And England’s entire cricket system, along with Stokes, bought into it. It started off with a bang, but the limitations of playing all-out attacking Test cricket soon became clear as pitches across the world started to become livelier to ensure results.
In 2026, ‘Bazball’ no longer works. England are no longer championship favourites in any format. There are strains of behavioural issues among players and decision-makers are not on the same page.
Stokes seems to have had enough. Or he was made aware of the deteriorating situation. Whatever the case, it does not make sense for only Stokes to walk away from the England team.
McCullum too was present as the England team witnessed a fall in performance and conduct. England director of cricket Rob Key shouldn’t be surprised if questions are raised about his fire-fighting abilities either.
Stokes played a central role as England won the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 world title. His match-winning Ashes ton in the 2019 Headingley Test is one of the greatest innings in cricket. And although his batting has come down several notches, there are very few players of his quality in the world game.
So if Stokes has left because he has had enough, will McCullum be next? It won’t be a surprise if it happens. If a fresh start has to be made, why not wipe the slate completely clean?
Legendary Indian cricketer Vijay Merchant once said the ideal time to retire is when people are still asking ‘why’, instead of ‘why not’. McCullum, and possibly Key, should know which response awaits them.
