Ben Stokes reveals why he is quitting international cricket after shocking team-mates and fans with retirement during Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand: ‘I burnt myself out’

Ben Stokes admitted that ‘burnout’ influenced his decision to give up the Test captaincy and retire as an England cricketer.

Stating that doubts about his future first surfaced on the eve of the current series against New Zealand, resurfaced immediately after the first Test win at Lord’s and led him to a concrete decision on the third day of the ongoing match, he said: ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever been asked to do, to captain this team, to captain this country.’

But in the end, the emotional and physical energy of coming back from a broken cheekbone just after his dream of winning the Ashes away ended in a 4-1 defeat had taken its toll.

‘The whole Lord’s Trial reminded me of some negative feelings about where I was in my career, and I’ve worked hard to turn things around since returning home,’ the 35-year-old actor continued.

‘That’s what I thought I did. And I put so much time and effort into it that I literally burned myself out.’

Explaining that his international career, which started in 2011, was now over, he said that he felt relief, happiness, excitement and sadness.

Stokes’ England career ended after he was caught on 30 against New Zealand.

‘Everyone I spoke to about the day it happened says it’s a kick in the face,’ he said, knowing his race had been run.

‘I was putting the pads on yesterday, getting ready to go there, it was kind of the final nail in the coffin.’

But Stokes fully acknowledged his maverick tendencies; He took a wicket with his first ball after declaration at 3.25pm ​​and later opened the batting, giving his team a turbocharged start to the chase of 373 at Trent Bridge.

A wave of noise from around 17,000 people roared over him to the crease, where he saw the edge of Zak Foulkes’ bat fly low towards Harry Brook at second slip.

‘Classic Ben Stokes, right? The most Ben Stokes thing you’ll ever see. I turn it on like a faucet,” Joe Root said. The couple’s paths crossed for the first time when they were 12 years old, at a Cumbria-Yorkshire match.

He then emerged in a new wicket partnership with Ben Duckett, came to the crease through a guard of honor formed by his opponents and umpires Nitin Menon and Rod Tucker, and struck a 19-ball 30 in a stand worth exactly 50.

The player, who made history with averages of 34.46 with the bat and 30.98 with the ball, went down in history as one of the two Test cricketers, along with South African Jacques Kallis, to score 7,000 runs and take 250 wickets.

The bombshell news came just days after he returned to lead the team after their first Test victory at Lord’s, missing the 253-run defeat at the Oval while under investigation by the Cricket Regulator and the ECB for a midnight incident at a nightclub in Chelsea.

Stokes informed his England teammates that he would retire from international cricket after the fourth test against New Zealand.

Stokes took the wicket of Zak Foulkes just minutes after his decision was made public

Stokes told Root of his decision on Saturday night and shared it with the rest of the squad in an emotional speech in the dressing room before day four was played, saying: ‘The reasons can wait.’

Adding: ‘I have made many trips to the well before, for this team, for you, for the people, and I have one more trip to make. All I’m asking is, can everyone please do the same?

‘We still have a lot of work to do and all I want is to be able to walk from the end of this field, whatever the result; Knowing that this group of men and one lady have given their all for the last two days.’

Bidding his farewell, clearly trying to inspire another great performance from his players, he concluded: ‘All I want is for everyone to do this, selfishly, not just for me, but for everything else we take forward for this team and for you.

‘All the hits on my ass, all the emotions, all that kind of stuff, can you please wait until the end of this game? Because we still have a lot of work to do, and I have a lot more work I want to do.

‘Let’s go out there and give it our all for two more days, okay? Because that’s my only intention and that’s where all my energy is right now. I forgot the emotional side of it, but now it’s time to work. And everyone else please come with me.’

Stokes became one of England’s most successful match-winners; He made a dramatic 84 not out in the 2019 World Cup final and achieved another unbeaten half-century that saw his team get over the line to win the Twenty20 World Cup final in Australia three years later.

Weeks after the Super Over success against New Zealand at Lord’s, he completed one of Test cricket’s greatest heists, guiding England to a one-wicket success against Australia in the 2019 Ashes at Headingley, finishing on 135 not out with Jack Leach taking 74 of the final 76 runs required.

Departing England captain attacked by teammates after taking wicket

Stokes, who refused to look beyond this series-deciding contest in his pre-match press conference and said all his focus was on this week, has had a transformative impact on England’s results since succeeding close friend Joe Root as Test captain four years ago, kicking off the Basketball era with 10 wins from 11 matches and winning 24 of 43 games to date.

‘Ben’s contribution to the game goes far beyond cricket. He is one of those players whose energy and determination mean he has the potential to change the course of a match every time he steps on the pitch,” England coach Brendon McCullum said.

‘I hope the next chapter for Ben Stokes is as great as the last.’

His retirement comes despite having 15 months remaining on his £1 million-a-year central contract, but he plans to continue playing with Durham and admits contributing 95 in a win over Northamptonshire in the County Championship match while under investigation for his post-Lord’s behavior rekindled his love of the game.

The player, who withdrew from the Indian Premier League two years ago to prioritize England commitments and was banned in 2025 and 2026, will now be a sought-after signing for the 2027 auction. Similarly, he can also act in The Hundred.

But lately he’s been maintaining an uneasy relationship with his bosses.

Last week, despite the Regulator of Cricket finding him and Surrey seamer Gus Atkinson having no case to answer over their early-hour visit to Chelsea’s Rex Rooms after the 115-run win over the New Zealanders at Lord’s, the ECB reprimanded the pair with a written warning about their future conduct.

They were present when a member of England’s security staff was shot by a Saracens rugby player.

During media duties ahead of the match at Nottingham, Stokes confirmed he had apologized to his team-mates but was non-committal when asked if he had support from the ECB hierarchy.