Ben Stokes has said retiring from international cricket is the “best thing” for him, with the England captain admitting the physical and mental toll of the game had left him burned out.
The 35-year-old made the shock announcement during England’s deciding third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, confirming that the match would be his final appearance for the national side. Stokes will walk away after a 15-year international career that included 122 Tests, 114 ODIs and 43 T20Is, along with two World Cup triumphs and some of the most iconic moments in English cricket history.
“It might sound quite selfish but this decision is genuinely the best thing for me right now,” Stokes told Sky Sports. “I hope it’s the best thing for the team going forward but I also hope it’s what will allow me to keep loving this game that has given me so much.”
While the announcement came after a turbulent few weeks, including Stokes being made unavailable for the second Test following a nightclub incident in London, the all-rounder insisted his decision had not been triggered by one episode alone. Instead, he said the feeling had been building since England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.
Stokes opens up on burnout
Stokes said the first Test of the summer at Lord’s brought back difficult emotions about where he stood in his career.
“The Lord’s Test, for me, was something that brought back negative feelings about where I was in my career,” he said. “I’d 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.”
However, Stokes did acknowledge that the nightclub controversy added another layer to his thoughts.
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“There was a build-up to it, how things were during the whole week at Lord’s and then another moment when I sat next to Joe Root in the dressing room,” he said. “Obviously another scenario happened that added to it. It’s never easy with me, is it? It was an unfortunate situation to be involved in over the past two weeks.”
Ben Stokes missed the second Test but returned to play for Durham, a spell he said briefly restored his love for cricket. Yet that feeling did not carry back into the England environment.
“Being back at Durham, when I wasn’t playing in the second Test, I found a new lease of life for the game, but unfortunately I just couldn’t get that feeling back this week,” he said.
Stokes also spoke about the emotional cost of leading England, describing the captaincy as the greatest honour of his career but also something that drained him behind the scenes.
“My family, my wife, they see the bits where it does drain you, and it does affect you negatively,” he said.
Looking back, Stokes said he was content with his record.
“I’m an Ashes winner, I’ve won a 50-over World Cup, a T20 World Cup,” he said. “There’s not too much I can complain about, really.”