Ben Stokes: England captain opens the game but has ‘cricket mad’ denied him the end of his dream of an ‘extraordinary’ Test career? | Cricket news

Ben Stokes was unable to produce a fairytale ending to his tenure as England captain, having played the hero for many points during his international career.

Stokes announced in a statement issued on Sunday – during the afternoon session and while he was still bowling – that the Test series decider against New Zealand will be his last international match, 15 years since he made his England debut and after four years as Test captain.

The 35-year-old starred in World Cup triumphs and a historic Ashes chase, as well as breaking records during his time with England, and the former star was still hoping for one more dramatic moment in his Test final at Trent Bridge.

Stokes took a first-ball wicket soon after announcing his retirement, then went on to score 30 off 20 deliveries after deciding to open the batting in England’s run-chasing efforts.

He was applauded after his dismissal, and England reached stumps on 103-4 after 15 difficult overs, which left them top of the table losing at home.

England will need another 270 runs to win on the fifth and final day in Nottingham, with former captain Michael Atherton questioning whether a different approach might give Stokes a better chance of making a match-winning impact.

“Part of the story of Stokes’ opening is that England kept the same order, and they succeeded in everything they did tonight playing normal cricket instead of crazy cricket,” Atherton said at the time. Sky Sports coverage.

“Then you’re looking forward to Stokes’ last day tomorrow. The fifth-day crowd was given a free ticket, so it’s a full house for sure. There may be an expectation that something unusual will be done on his last day as a Test cricketer.

“It’s not the way he and England chose to go.”

Zak Foulkes shut out Jacob Bethell in the same over without scoring before ending Harry Brook’s bonkers nine-ball 21, while Ben Duckett also fell before the close to leave England facing a long career.

“It’s quite surprising,” former New Zealander Simon Doull said of England’s tactics. “I’m not sure I can understand it or understand it at all.

“There is a Test match to try to win, a series to try to win. It feels like the players are throwing it away.”

The way Stokes ‘stands out’ brings more Test drama

England’s 2019 World Cup hero has admitted that four years as Test captain has left him “burnt out” and unable to connect with his passion for the game, with Stokes telling his teammates ahead of the fourth day that he will call it quits after the third Test.

Stokes was in the middle of a marathon toss when the announcement was made at 3.25pm, just before he claimed his last wickets in 252 Tests and celebrated another remarkable moment for England.

“It was planned this afternoon for the announcement to come out before Stokes opened the batting, because they hadn’t announced anything and then he opened it to take everything out,” explained Atherton.

“Obviously he was looking for intensity when that announcement came. It was a spell of 11 overs, the kind of spell that shows him as a bowler and a cricketer – someone who wants to be at the top.

“And the drama of getting a wicket with the first ball after the declaration arrived. These are great cricketers, writing things for themselves! It was very Botham-esque in a way.”

His future had been in question after the 4-1 Ashes drubbing in Australia in the winter and ahead of the series, following a nightclub incident that saw him thrown out of the second Test, with Stokes described as ‘one of the defining figures of his generation’ after calling time on his England career.

“He’s the best cricketer in England, there’s no question about that,” added Atherton. “I think he has been the best England captain throughout this tour.

“In the first few years, it was a transformation that few of us saw in the sports team – it was very sick, and then he turned it around with the help of others.

“It wasn’t planned last year. And I have to say, we were there at Lord’s, and those of us who have been in that job I think we saw that he was coming to the end of the road.

“He looked like someone who had been England captain for four years. A lot of us did at that time. It’s a job that wears on you and you can’t quit.”

Why ‘hero’ Stokes will be ‘greatly missed’

Stokes – who has played 122 Tests for England – is one of only two players in history to score more than 7,000 runs and take more than 250 wickets in Tests, earning him comparisons with the sport’s greatest all-rounder.

“It doesn’t really feel right, to be honest,” said former England skipper Stuart Broad he told Sky Sports. “Just standing next to him, it’s the right decision. You know he’s done playing cricket at the highest level, under this pressure, under this scrutiny.

“It’s a shame for the England fans that we won’t see him wearing that shirt again. For us too, in the work we do, as he’s fun to talk about and comment on. He was a generational talent, an outstanding hero in England cricket, and he will be sorely missed.”

Broad added: “I was hoping he would stay on until next summer and lead the team for a while. I feel the same way about Joe Root, and these players we’ve seen for a long time have an impact on England cricket, you want to sink in and enjoy watching them for a long time.

“Now we won’t see him at his best in the biggest league, but we have great memories. Let me just say he was an incredible team player to have around. You knew he was always with you, always supporting you and doing everything for the team to win.”

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