Stokes retires from international cricket

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You're listening to the TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

Now, here's some news for you. I didn't think I'd be reading this out. Now at this very moment today, but Ben Stokes has announced his retirement as England's Test captain and from international cricket. Crowd behind him now, over the wicket he goes, bowls to Folkes, edged and caught! Well, there's something Botham-esque about that. The first ball that Ben Stokes has delivered since announcing his retirement takes a wicket.

Well, no ordinary day as Ben Stokes surprised everyone and announced his international retirement. And to come, we'll hear from Stokes, plus get reaction from Michael Vaughan, Sir Alistair Cook, and Stephen Finn, plus a statistical appreciation from Andy Zaltzman. Stokes took that wicket just as the news of his retirement came out, and he then opened the batting making a quick-fire 30. England will resume on 103 for 4, still needing 270 more to win. But it's the Stokes news that dominated, and Jonathan Agnew has been giving me his reaction.

Well, I was going to say the whole day's been strange. It actually was fine until 3:25 when Ben Stokes— we can see marching around the boundary rope now, I don't think he'll come to us first— when the announcement was made that he was retiring. And there's been so much talk, hasn't there, over the last 10 days or so, ever since the post-Lords celebrations, shall we say. About all sorts of things on and off the fields, and I just don't think anybody— all the names are being thrown around about what might happen, who's going to go, who's going to stay. I just don't think that— well, if they did, I certainly didn't hear anybody say they thought that Ben Stokes would retire, and certainly not at the start of the fourth day of a Test match in which a series is hanging in the balance. All the timing, the timing is unusual. I think it's unprecedented. So there's a lot that's very strange. They opened the batting, and that was quite fun, I suppose, trying to knock a bit of a hole in the target. But, you know, this is a fairly bizarre way— I mean, England will lose the series tomorrow, and this is all rather a bizarre way for the fourth day to end.

Was there any sense of inevitability this would happen after the events of the last couple of weeks And also his pre-match comments, you know, he was asked about his future and he said, I'm just thinking about this match.

Yeah, well, I thought I didn't read too much into that because I think there was one match to go in this series, then there was a break that he wasn't going to be playing in the Hundred and so on. I didn't read much into that, maybe as much as perhaps I should have done, but I just thought he was just, this match is the focus, we'll get back on the rails again. We don't know, we still don't really know what happened behind the scenes ECB-wise, curfew and all that, we still don't know what happened there and whether this is the moment this evening or tomorrow at the end of this day when actually we do find out a little bit more about that and his feelings about it, because something, something has pushed him to go at a strange time and maybe we'll find out more.

What did you think, Michael, when you heard the news?

I was completely shocked. I kind of think back to You know, Ben Stokes over his years has given us some incredible joy. He's going to be greatly missed. And I guess great, great sportspeople do things a different way. That's why they're great. They play the game differently. They think differently. They have a different mindset to many others. And I guess we shouldn't be surprised. But I'm with Aggers. I just want to know a little bit more. I want to hear from Ben. I want to hear from Ben in terms of the timing.

Why?

When did he decide? You know, if it is that the incident in London pushed him over the edge to make this decision a little bit earlier than the England side and all the fans and all of us who have followed the England team for many, many years, if he has been kind of almost put into a place where he's angry with certain quarters of the ECB and he's made an impulsive decision, I'd be very disappointed if that's the case. Look, he might have just had enough, the fire might have just stopped. You know, you need fire to play Test match cricket. You need that inner kind of drive, and just maybe that has run out for Ben Stokes. But I just find it very strange that it happens a week after where the whispers and the rumors that there were certain quarters of the ECB briefing certain elements that Ben Stokes should retire as the England captaincy, as a captain, and a week or so later he's back in the team and he's gone on his own accord.

I mean, I suppose, Jonathan, you know, what's next? I mean, does it therefore query the pitch of the coach? You know, they come as a bit of a job lot, you know, Stokes and McCullum.

And it's interesting, the way that— the way they've played today batting there, uh, that, that was kind of baseball again. And whether some people might read that as being a bit of a last hurrah, I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I don't think any of us know what, what What's going to happen? All I do know is you have to ask the question. This is going to be a reset. This series is about a reset, getting back on the rails again after that awful Ashes campaign on and off the field. Behaviour, performance, preparation, all of those things we've talked to a blue in the face. Are we better off, or will we be better off tomorrow when surely England will lose this game and lose the series? Are we better off then tomorrow? Than we were at the start of the series? And the answer surely is no, England are not. The reset has not worked. There's been off-the-field stuff. They've been beaten by a New Zealand team that are down to 2 bowlers here at the moment, for goodness' sake. They lost their best batsman, who also retired midway through the series, which is also deemed a bit strange. But this, you know, they're a good side, but they're not at full strength. And England will lose this series 2-1. So has the reset worked? And the reset really was about Key and McCullum in my mind. I think we all assumed at the start of this campaign that actually Stokes would remain. He was kind of the one banker, and it was the other two who had something to prove. Well, I don't think it's improved at all. I mean, we're back— I don't think we're any better off tomorrow when we stand here reviewing England's defeat in the series than we were at the start of it. And the whole idea of this series was we were supposed to move forward.

Well, Ben Stokes says he's, he was been thinking about it since the Ashes, and there's a sense of relief. I mean, I guess that happens to, to all cricketers when they put so much into their career. When you stop, you think, oh, you know, there is that sense of relief there.

There is. And yet there was that, that very powerful social media post that he put out saying how much he loved the job and wanted to get going again. Uh, he spoke quite positively, actually, I thought, before this game about everything. But I don't know, I've never been in that position myself. You talk to those two over there, Cook and Vaughan, they'll both say that that moment comes when they realize that they've had enough, they've got to move on. I do think the Ashes took a lot out of him. I think that a lot of the criticism of that Ashes took a lot out of him. I mean, he was not himself. You know, we've all had our little brushes with Ben during the Ashes in which he just wasn't himself at all.

And that was their big opportunity. It felt like their big opportunity. They've been building up to it for so long. It felt so flat.

They got it totally wrong. So whether that, you know, whether in hindsight, in retrospect, back home up north, he sat back and thought, oh wow, how did we do that so wrong? Because they did get it wrong. And that wasn't said in hindsight from the people who were saying it was wrong. It was said long before they set off. So there was a lot about Australia that he would have taken badly. I assumed, obviously wrongly now, but I assumed he'd want to put it right next summer and he'd want to, you know, have a great chance of winning here at home and being an Ashes-winning captain, which any England captain wants to be. They want to have that little tag at the end of their career statistics, and he'll never have that now, and that's a shame.

Yeah, and you think about his fitness, which has been an issue, but today, both spells of 8 overs and 11 overs, 19 overs in the day, and still had that, you know, enough left to come out and open the batting.

Yeah, when you look, he looks as fit now as he ever has. Yeah, I mean, exactly. I mean, he bowled brilliantly, and I said earlier on, you know, the thing about what we'll miss from Stokes is that whenever Stokes was batting or bowling or in fact just anywhere, England had hope. You know, because he's pulled them out of the hole, you know, so many times in seemingly impossible situations. He was able somehow to inject that hope into the other players, hope into the spectators. Yeah, Stokes is still there, he can do it. When he was out there, you know, thrashing around there, opening the batting, he wasn't going to win the game for England, but still he felt he might. But that was sailed into the crowd for 6. You know, is he going to perform a miracle? He's done it before, and that's what we'll really miss, you know, those long spells of bowling that were full of, you know, even if they didn't really rip through with wickets, they were just wearing spells that only he could really produce. And England miss that. But more than anything, I mean, what I will remember Ben Stokes for was his abilities his cold, calculating way of being able to chase down a target and put all the noise out, cut the pressure out of the situation and everything else, and just be able to focus entirely on that run chase. And I've not seen, I don't think, any other batsman as capable of doing that as Ben.

Stephen Finney is here as well. I mean, how do you react to today's news, Finney?

I think surprised. My first reaction was surprised because I think everyone saw that final carrot of a home Ashes series next summer. It felt like the natural end of this team's time together. But clearly I think the last 6 months have been more fraught than maybe even we realize as observers of the game. And I think more will, more will come out in the wash potentially. But that's all speculation. I mean, and then once you get over the initial shock, you think of Ben Stokes, the cricketer, and I was lucky enough to play with him and then watch him in the second part of his career, and he was just a man for the moment, and the moment in games, he would recognize it, and whether it was with bat or ball or in the field, he would make sure that he took the responsibility to be the person who did the job for the team, and you felt that when you were playing with him as soon as he stepped into the all-rounder's role when Trevor Bayliss said, 'You're not a number 8 who bowls a bit, you're a number 6, a proper number 6, who is going to be our number 1 all-rounder,' and trusted him with that. I think that was a turning point in his career to take responsibility with both bat and ball, and he's been an absolute talisman. And the way he's led this team, especially through the first part when him and Ben— Brendan McCullum came together, they transformed the way that we view and accept Test match cricket in this country. And the last 6 months or so have been disappointing, yes. No more so for him than anyone else. But the memories are going to be amazing. And as you stand here and think about all the amazing ones, more pop up in there as well. He was the most influential player in a cricket team that I played with. You just knew that he was going to influence the important part of games and that marks a great player.

They're singing, well, they were, One More Year over there.

One more year. My answer was so long, we got through that song to another one.

But what do you think about the timing? You know, there is an Ashes only a year away.

I just honestly, I don't know. I don't know. I feel as though more will come out. Can we read more into his statement to the dressing room that the video that came out of him talking to the team about, I don't want to go into the reasons right now, whether more will come out later about his frustration of the last few weeks or the last 6 months. I don't know. I can only speculate on that without any knowledge. But the timing is curious because like Agus says, that carrot of a home Ashes, being an Ashes-winning captain, leaving your— he has a legacy, but that's like the cherry on top, on top of the cake for a player like Ben Stokes to stand there at the Oval, lift the urn and then walk away. For me, that felt like his natural breaking point, but it's come today.

Yeah. And also, You know, him leaving now does leave England with a dilemma. Who is going to be the next captain? And that is a problem given that, you know, it was Harry Brook's misdemeanors that actually led to a lot of these, this curfew and everything else. Is he really ready to be Test captain of England? I know he's the, he's the white ball captain and he starts on, on Wednesday, but there are a lot of people who'd be quite nervous about that, I would think. The ECB again looking to improve the, the optics, if that's the right word, or at least, uh, the, the whole landscape of, of the England cricket team. Are they going to be confident that Harry Brook's the right man to be captain? That, that's a decision that they're going to have to make now. And they have got these one-day games coming up, and we'll see, see how he goes. But I think there'll be some, some, some anxiety about that.

The TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

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Ben Stokes has been speaking to our television colleagues. He's been saying, you know, he's felt burnt out and he's got his sort of love for, I don't know, county cricket back when he was playing for Durham, you know. And also he had time to think about it when he was away as well, playing for Durham.

Yeah, well, there you go. I mean, would he continue playing for Durham? I suppose, I suppose, I suppose he, I suppose he might, he might well. He's only retired from international cricket, might be playing the Hundred and all sorts before we know it.

Well, Michael Vaughan and Alistair Cook. Alistair Cook's with us as well. I mean, you, what do you think about the timing with that a year to go until the Ashes, Alistair?

Well, the fact that it's only a year to go and some of the quotes maybe he's saying on the other channel actually suggesting that, you know, he just— the fire has gone. And the fact that he has that carrot dangling there as a home Ashes as a captain after what happened in the last two series and knowing what it— you know, I think from what I know of Ben and how much it means to be England captain and to try and become Ashes-winning captain, this decision I'm convinced has not been taken lightly. It's such a hard job to hand back, and I remember the feelings I had when I did it. It's actually brought them back a little bit today, actually, seeing someone maybe going through what I went through for a period of time and probably what Varney did. I think Varney has said, you know, without putting words, it was a bit bit more instant for him, but I kind of fought mine a little bit longer than that. So, but I just think timing for me is almost irrelevant. I know there's certain people have different things about that, but you know, you don't ever— to mark, for me, mark what Ben has done as an England cricketer. And because the timing will be forgotten about in a couple, in, you know, probably, but after tomorrow.

I mean, you, you had your one or two injury problems towards the end, Michael, but I mean, was it a sense of relief for you as well?

No, not really.

It wasn't relief.

My body was knackered, and I told my wife before the South Africa series in '08 that whatever the state the series was in, when we'd either won or lost, I was going to step aside. And I was quite relieved, actually. It's a pressurised job, and I wasn't playing great. But some of the songs that they're singing in the stands— Shoes Off for Ben Stokes— there's been all sorts of chants. But I think, you know, we've all been very proud privilege to see an incredible cricketer. The amount of times that Ben Stokes has pretty much won England games of cricket on his own— there's not many in the game of cricket can— yeah, you get help from 10 teammates, but you know, he won England an Ashes Test match on his own pretty much in 2019. He got England over the line in the World Cup. He won them a T20 World Cup final against Pakistan at the MCG. He's bowled mammoth spells, he's took flying catches, he's produced run-outs, you know. And eventually, you know, we sometimes look at Ian Botham, Freddie Flintoff, Ben Stokes as if they're not human beings. He's a human being. And if you're waking up every morning, as Ben Stokes would have done for many, many years, knowing he has to bowl, he has to catch, he has to bat well, he's also got to be this leader in and around the dressing room, he's got to lead out there in the middle, he's got to have all all the physical attributes required to produce all those facets of the game, eventually your mind goes, nah, can't do it anymore, and your body goes, come on, stop. But you know, with Ben Stokes, he'll just keep going. He had that spell this morning, typifies Ben Stokes, um, look, coming out to open the batting in his last Test innings to try and—

what did you think of that?

I thought it was mad, but he's Ben Stokes, he does things that many others don't do. And then I kind of broke it down, I thought, well, wait a minute, if he gets England a quick 50 50, and they're only coming back tomorrow 1 or 2 down, and they need 250 or 240. Maybe he'd have done his work, but you know, a bit of that batting tonight was chaotic and outrageous really. But Ben Stokes, as a person, as a cricketer, there's not many, if you look at the history of our game, are getting what Ben's getting now. Tomorrow this place is going to be electric. He won't be going out there, he's not batting, he's not playing, but the whole of Trent Bridge, we'll be singing Ben Stokes all tomorrow.

Well, we hope to be speaking to Ben Stokes fairly shortly. What did you think about England's tactics today, Alistair?

Well, I get the tactics of Ben Stokes opening and saying, right— and it did cause absolute chaos. I think after 8 balls, when they're chasing 370, there was 3 men in the circle. So it did work, it caused chaos. The issue was you can afford, I think, one person to do that, one person to go and do it. And it was Ben's, I suppose, last straw. He wanted to do it and I kind of get that. I didn't get the following bit of that after the Harry Brook innings. Bethell left a straight one. That doesn't— you're not going to win consistently doing that. So, yeah, again, it's shock and some Some of the shots that were played were poor shots. And I wonder if there's still more to come from fallout from this Test match because of it.

So what do you mean by that? Do you mean, I mean, what about Brendan McCullum's position?

Well, absolutely. They were so thick as thieves, weren't they? They were leading this brand of cricket. And whether this was just one final go at it together. And then when Ben's gone, again, the word speculation has been used so much over the last 2 weeks that we're still speculating even though— I just hope, you know, I have a lot of— I don't know what I really feel at the minute because I think the whole day has just been the most extraordinary day of cricket. We watched 60 runs of the first session, we're talking about this and that, and then the last session we saw 14 overs, 90-run scores reversed. Scoops, whereas I'm not sure that's a great look for the England side either. Um, but then it's always— it's got— they're going to always have an asterisk to it because it feels like it was— because it was Ben Stokes' last inning.

Yeah, it was kind of a day that typified the game, was it? Up and down, and the slowness this morning, and then the, you know, England going at it as soon as they went into bat. It was a, you know, another bizarre day in this sort of hugely fluctuating Test match.

Yeah, I mean, people are going to question that approach to their trying to win the game there, aren't they? And then at the end, they're 4 wickets down. There's some poor, you know, all sorts of weird shots played. Was that the right approach? Well, what you'd probably hear from them is that if we tried to— if we, if we, if we tried to bat normally, we would have got one with our name on it. And, and yeah, there is some truth in that, but Mitchell batted normally and he didn't have one with his name on it. He's 100 not out. So look, I think, I think they realize that they that they, they thought their only way they could win that game is by smashing a hole, smashing a hole in the target tonight, uh, creating some chaos with the field settings and so on, which, which they did to an extent. But they still need another 270. They've only got 6 wickets left, and, um, you know, they'll, they'll lose the game tomorrow.

Yeah, and it kind of all started here 4 years ago, didn't it, without the remarkable evening. I remember you interviewing Jonny Bairstow down on the boundary after he won England that incredible game. And it's amazing, isn't it, how 4 years later it all feels as though it's all winding down again.

Yeah, and I think Stokes and McCullum need a lot of credit for what they inherited, which was a real mess. You know, they did pick it up, they did turn things around, they did give English cricket, well, a smile on its face, and it was entertaining, it was great fun. The problem is it was unsustainable, and I think both McCullum and Stokes thought that they were kind of going to reinvent Test cricket. This is going to be the way going forward. But actually, as we've seen, they've just been now repeatedly beaten by teams that just play conventional Test match cricket— India, Australia, New Zealand. That's— that's— there is, there is a proven formula to winning at Test cricket.

We're still waiting for to Ben to come over. Um, what's next, do you think, Agus, in terms of the, the captaincy?

Well, it's really interesting, isn't it? I mean, Brook's innings there tonight, did that show anything? I don't know. I mean, I just think they've got, they've got a headache because it's going to be a very big appointment to make, isn't it? Um, well, they've got two choices. Do, does Joe Root do it again until, um, the end of next summer? Or do they go to Harry Brook? I think those are the only choices that they have, being realistic. And they got to decide, well, whether they want some calm, whether they want something that they know, you know, safe pair of hands, all those usual clichés. Or do they take a chance with Harry Brook? And that's really the only choices that they have. I mean, Joe Root's going to have to want to do it. And that's another question altogether. But there seems to be those only, the only choices that they have.

His family's, uh, over there on the far side of the ground by the Fox Road stand at the moment. He's just embracing them. We, we hope that he's going to come over in just a minute. What do you think, Michael, about the, the future, about the next appointment?

Well, Harry Brook's not just done, just had a great dress rehearsal as England captain with an innings that he's just played. I would be, you know, you'd want Harry Brook because you've decided he's your white ball captain, so you clearly feel a bit of leadership in him. But I'd be wary of that with Harry because he's got a 50-over World Cup next year, and doing all three formats, as we know, is very, very difficult. So there's a big decision to make— Harry Brook or Joe Root.

And what about you, Alistair, on that, about the next one?

Well, I was hoping Stokesy's going to come so I don't have to answer the question. So you You asked Stokesy first.

Well, we've got just a fraction of time, Alistair. We've got a fraction of time.

Well, there's big decisions. I'm not sure who's going to be in the leadership group.

Okay, well, thanks very much, uh, Alistair. Ben Stokes is here, um, he's been over there doing a long television interview over on the Fox Road side of the ground. Well, thanks very much for joining us, Ben, on what's quite a momentous day for you. Um, I suppose that The question is, is why and why now?

Yeah, I think it's, it's a process. I think you go through with, you know, a lot of people who, you know, are close to you, not only in terms of my close family, but also people who I feel like I've built a, you know, a very good relationship with in terms of who I played with. And there's one thing that I think Someone I spoke to just said, like, when it happens, like, what does it feel like? And they just say it basically just feels like it kicks you in the teeth and you just sort of know. And I've gone, I've had a couple of those over the last probably, I think, 5 or 6 weeks. And then, you know, it was up there yesterday or the day before, I can't remember, to be honest. It was when I was actually putting my pads on and waiting to bat. That was— sorry, someone's ringing me. Yeah. That's me, mate. Yeah, sorry. And yeah, just I would say that was just sort of the final nail in the coffin. And, you know, I came into this week, you know, being very, you know, not open-minded, I don't think is the right word, but, you know, like giving myself as much time and, you know, experience everything that a Test match week brings to you to see if I could really see myself, you know, carrying on beyond the series. And, you know, being back in amongst it in the environment, you know, I just sort of just can't see it. And then obviously with the emotion and the feeling that I got when I was getting my pads on, ready to go out and bat in our first innings, those are ones that I felt before and just sort of, yeah, I was like, right, okay, this is it. This is the one thing I didn't want to be thinking about or feeling like, and it's happening. So it's the final nail in the coffin along with everything else.

And how do you feel about that now?

Yeah, there's lots of emotion. There's sadness, there's relief, there's happiness, there's excitement. You know, because I absolutely love cricket. I love the sport. And that's something that I need to make sure that I always feel like I'm doing. And over the last last, you know, 6 months, 12 months, however long it may be, there's been certain moments where I felt like I haven't loved it. And, you know, my time last week back with Durham, there wasn't a moment where I didn't. And so being able to compare what it was like being back at my, you know, at my county where everything sort of started with me and people who I grew up with, and then been comparing it to here where I've always loved to not feel that sense of love and complete and utter enjoyment like I have done for pretty much, you know, the 100 and whatever Test matches before, then, you know, you just sort of know because, you know, being able to compare what it was like last week playing for Durham and comparing it to all of the other things this week, yeah, it was tough to see me going on past this Test match.

You said there were a couple of moments. Was one the blow in the face and the and the other one that, you know, what happened after the Lord's Test match, those are the sort of two moments that made you sort of think again?

No, there's lots, you know. I think there's so much that people don't see, that you, you know, the time and effort that you put in away from, you know, all your responsibilities in terms of like in the public, you know. The months after Australia, you know, it was tough in terms of what I put myself through physically, mentally, to try and build onto this summer and then into the winter and then obviously onto the 2027 Ashes as well. And then I think that whole week at Lord's for me was a very, very strange week. That was the start of all of this questioning.

Strange in what way, Ben?

Just was. It just didn't have the feel that I felt like it should have done considering I was out of the England bubble. For 6 months. And then when you turn up and you're sort of feeling a bit flat about everything and you're getting a bit, bit aggy about your responsibilities and you're sort of desperate to just get into the game, and it just wasn't— it's not how you should feel as, you know, an international player, as, you know, a captain. Because I've always loved and enjoyed the responsibilities that get put on your shoulders away from playing, you know. Believe it or not, I do actually quite enjoy talking to you guys on the vast majority of time. But even that was just, you know, it felt like a chore last week. And I know it might sound silly, but that's part of the, you know, part of how I sort of ended up getting myself to this process, along with quite a lot of other things.

What was the reaction in the dressing room when you told them?

Yeah, I mean, at the end of it, it was pretty good. They've got a nice clap, but I think there was a bit of shock and a little bit of taking a step back. Baz was, you know, pretty Taken aback this morning when I told them, but yeah, he's someone—

He didn't sense it was coming at all?

I don't know. I'll be able to have a good chat with him about it, you know, at some point, obviously, but I don't think so. You know, I don't— yeah, I don't know. But they were— the group were, I think, just a little bit taken aback, and you know, I guess You don't really want to have conversation with too many people around these kind of things because it is a sensitive subject. But yeah, they were good. And yeah, I think hopefully the emotion can stay out of it until we get the result tomorrow because we've still got quite a bit of work to do. But, you know, it's been a pretty crazy day.

Yeah.

Was it a bit surreal out there knowing that the announcement was coming out? I mean, it kept quiet for, I don't know, about 4 or 5 hours, something like that.

Yeah, we've got a great comms team who sort of, you know, I just said, can you guys work together with Michael Lomond and Neil Fairbrother about what you want to do? But there was a whole lot of reasonings, you know, it was sort of, we don't know how the game was going to play out, and they decided that if we do get them 7 or 8 down, we will put it out. Because see, you know, the whole thing around me opening the batting was actually a tactical decision that we've been speaking about probably for for the last 2 days. So they just sort of thought it would be a real positive spin to the whole day if we do end up getting them 7 or 8 down and it might gee the crowd up and gee everyone up for obviously what's going to be a tough chase. And it worked out pretty well there and obviously we're 4 down now. Would have been great to come in 2 down, but we've made a really big dent in this pretty run chase, that's quite far away at the moment, especially on this wicket. But we've made a good dent in it, and I think today as a whole has been pretty, pretty entertaining day for people who've come here.

Yeah, I think this is a day they'll remember for a very long time. Just one final point, let you go. I know it's been a long and bizarre day. Are you going to play on?

Yes, I am. Yeah, that's, that's part of the excitement, you know. I've had— I think everyone sort of maybe plans what they're going to do when they're done with this, and And me and my partner always spoke about sort of getting to the end of the Ashes and hopefully that's going the way it was going to go. And then, you know, going back and playing a little bit of county cricket and other opportunities that there is at the moment. But, you know, you can never have it. No one ever gets sort of the perfect ending that they want. And unfortunately for me, it came a lot earlier than sort of what I've been speaking about. But, you know, that's in the past. Perfect world, and the world certainly isn't perfect. And it's definitely the right time for me to step away because, um, self— I don't know if selfish is the right word, but it definitely is the right thing for me. You know, I've been through some tough times before, feeling like I've forced myself to keep going maybe when I shouldn't have done. And I don't want to, you know, even comprehend maybe leaking towards that again because, as I say, I've got so much love for this great sport that's given me an unbelievable career and an unbelievable opportunity, and I want to make sure that I'm loving and enjoy every single moment out on the field, um, regardless of who is that for.

Ben, thanks very much for your time and congratulations on your career.

Thank you very much.

Cheers.

There we go, that's Ben Stokes on his last day as an international cricketer. He's gone over to have a, a quick hug there with Alistair Cook. Michael Vaughan is shaking hands with him. Jonathan Agnew you as well, shaking hands with him. And you heard Ben say there that he actually enjoys those media interactions with Jonathan. So Jonathan had a chance to shake hands in there. He said he enjoys media interactions with the likes of us and you.

He's promised me a date tomorrow for 5 minutes at the end of the game, which is rather nice for us to— yeah, look, he was— that was, that was kind of thoughtful. For Ben, wasn't it? You know, and kind of relieved Ben as well. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I couldn't hear a huge amount because it's quite a lot of noise going around. I was interested in the fact that they talked about him opening the batting for 2 days. That was quite an interesting little giveaway there. But yeah, I think if there's any sort of conspiracy theorists out there, that kind of laid that to rest. I think we're still going to see what happens after this game. And I go back to that point again about the fact this series is all about a reset of English cricket. And I would say, given the odds, I think they will lose tomorrow. But that hasn't happened. And so whether that has ramifications elsewhere within the management setup, which you'll just have to— we'll just have to wait and see. But it's a sad day. I mean, it's always sad when you lose a player like that. And, you know, you think of the wonderful entertainment that, you know, that Ben's given. I mean, I've been with Michael when he's gone, Cookie when he's gone. You know, he's sort of You know, there are people who have contributed a huge amount to English cricket, and we're very lucky to work with them. You know, even that's a relationship, you know, with Ben, you know, to interview the England captain 2 or 3 times a week, you know, it's a fantastic thing. And you do get to know them a bit, not terribly well, but a bit. And you can't, you just can't help but to feel a bit sad when you see them go, you know.

He said he's going to play on, but But he said, yeah, that's it for him. He did retire from one-day international cricket. They were chanting, "One more year," over there.

I mean, could you see the sort of the cry go up, you know, next May, you know, "Ben, come back." If he is still playing for Durham and England lose the first test against Australia, you know what the media is going to do. And so who knows? Never say never. You can unretire if you want to. But I bet, I'll tell you, if England do lose that first test against Australia, or don't look, or even, you know, it's a losing draw, and Ben's knocking them over up at Durham, there'll be quite a cry in the media, won't there?

Yeah, well, you'd think so, because I mean, there's a lot of county cricket that leads up to the Ashes series. And if he is in very good form, and, you know, England have got what, they've got that series in South Africa, which is pretty tough. They go to Bangladesh, they've got the test match in Australia, the day-night test match in Australia. To celebrate the 150th anniversary. Yeah, you, you can see it, can't you?

Definitely, definitely. And, and I wouldn't, I wouldn't put it beyond him. Yeah, I'm not going to see headlines written now, but you know, I'd— with someone like Ben at 35 and such a fierce competitor, and he'll be fit, you know, we know how fit he, how hard he trains, um, and his, and his determination. The thought of Ben Stokes answering his country's cry for help, I wouldn't rule it out. No, I'll ask him tomorrow.

Yeah, well, that is the question for tomorrow. That's the only question left for you, isn't it, really?

I'm looking forward to it, actually. It'll be a nice friendly end. Because we do, when someone's been a captain for 4 years, you know what it's like doing this job. You do have your ups and downs. And Australia was a difficult tour for everybody. But no, I'm looking forward to thanking him tomorrow. I always do. Every England captain I've seen off always somehow sent a text or a letter to say thank you. They do, they give us their time, and he's been excellent at that.

Okay, Jonathan, thank you very much indeed. Let's go to Andy Zaltzman to give us a statistical look at Ben Stokes's international career.

Well, I mean, Stokes is one of those players whose statistics, uh, are not entirely relevant to what he's done for the game and the performances he's put in, but nonetheless they are very impressive across all formats. Over 11,000 runs and 352 wickets for England in Tests specifically. 122 games, he's finished with 7,273 runs at an average of 34 with 14 centuries and 252 wickets at an average just under 31, plus 115 catches amongst the sort of individual achievements. Uh, his highest score, 258 against South Africa in the 2015-16 series, uh, reached his 200 in 163 balls, the second fastest test double hundred ever, ever scored. He's one of only 5 players in test history to achieve the double of 200 wickets and 5,000 runs, alongside some, well, other great all-rounders of the game: Jack Callis, Garfield Sobers, Kapil Dev, and, uh, and Ian Botham. In One Day Internationals, 114 games, almost 3,500 runs, 5 centuries, um, and 74 wickets. Played a key role in that World Cup final, 84 not out in that, that dramatic game to earn England that, uh, that, that super over. And T20s, not great statistics overall, but a massive contribution to that World Cup win in 2022, including an unbeaten 52, uh, in, uh, in the final. And as a captain, which might be in some ways his sort of greatest legacy, the way he's captained the side. And we've seen the results decline over the, over the sort of 4 and a bit years of his, uh, of his captaincy. But to put in context quite how extraordinary this, this Stokes-McCollum era has been, uh, in the 40 Tests that England played from the Trent Bridge game here against New Zealand 4 years ago, when we saw that first sort of eruption of what we consider sort of Bazball batting in particular up to the end of last summer, uh, in 2025, in that dramatic series with India. England scored at 4.59 runs per over in 40 Test matches, and the fastest any team, any other team, has ever scored in a 40-Test sequence was 3.91 per over. That was the dominant Australians at the start of this century. That gives a context to quite how different, quite how unique this, uh, the, the Bazball approach has been in terms of how they've played the game. Now, it's had its successes and failures, But to see something new in a sport as old as Test cricket is a fairly rare, rare thing. The Stokes team has had 4 of England's 9 highest successful fourth innings chases. They've had 3 wins after conceding 550 in the field. There have only been 9 such victories in the history of Test cricket, and only 1 by England previously, which was back in 1894. So this sort of gives an idea of the extraordinary achievements of this, uh, this, this team under Stokes's captaincy, albeit that it, uh, the results have, have petered out. They haven't had that, you know, the landmark 5 Test series victories, uh, that, uh, that they'd have wanted. The drawn series at home with Australia and India and heavy defeats in India and Australia. But nonetheless, a truly extraordinary cricketer who's done some of the most astonishing individual and collective things that we've seen from an England player.

Indeed, Zoltz, thanks very much indeed. So we'll leave you with some of the special Ben Stokes moments.

Here is Rabada, and a swing again from Stokes, and he's middled this one as well. He knew, he knew from the moment he felt contact that it was the middle of the bat. That one has gone.

It's a surreal feeling. It hasn't sunk in yet. I don't think it will until this Test match is finished.

So here's Rabada with Mikkel upright, short, pulled away by Stokes, 6 more. That, now that was out of the middle and it's 250 for Ben Stokes.

The fastest 250 in Test cricket.

Proud is definitely a word I'll use and is how I'm feeling right now.

Cummins on his way again from the far end, bowls to Stokes, hammers it past and the fielder dives, it's gone for 4.

Wow.

An incredible shot.

What a shot.

I was saying to everyone before, like, I don't understand what it is with finals that produce things like that.

Bolt's on his way, bowls to him, that's a length and he heaves it away into the leg side. That's going to go for 6. What a shot. Well, well, Ben Stokes, he's the fiercest of competitors.

I hope that we've inspired people to want to do this, you know, in the future, you know, kids and everything like that want to be part of what we've just been a part of.

Here's the last ball of the World Cup final.

Archer bowls it, it's clipped away into the leg side. They're going to come back for the second. The throw is picked up, they throw to the wicketkeeper's end. He's run out, you think? I think he's run out.

England have won the World Cup.

Ben Stokes says he's honoured to take up the role as England men's Test captain.

Green balls and he swings at the next ball and that's gone for another six.

Crazy over and 100 for Stokes. Word has got out that Ben Stokes, 25 past 3 on the fourth day, has announced that he's retiring and he's still bowling. He's got the old ball. Crowd behind him now. Over the wicket he goes, bowls to Foulkes.

Edged and caught!

Well, there's something Botham-esque about that. Some people have their scripts written for them, and they're, they're beyond the realms of the rest of us, and Ben Stokes is one of those.

You're listening to the TMS Podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

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