Ben Stokes plays his final Test as England struggle for winning send-off

During England's ongoing Test series against New Zealand, captain Ben Stokes shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket. The announcement came during the third and final Test of the three-match series.

England had won the opening Test by 115 runs before New Zealand bounced back with a commanding 253-run victory in the second to level the series. In the deciding third Test at Trent Bridge, England are in deep trouble on the fifth day, slumping to 133/6 in their second innings while chasing a daunting target of 373.

Stokes made the announcement on Sunday, hoping it would inspire his teammates ahead of the final two days of the series decider.

When the news was announced at Trent Bridge, it was met with a standing ovation from the crowd.

Stokes, who had opened the batting only twice before in his England career, then walked out alongside Ben Duckett to begin England's chase. He received a guard of honour from the New Zealand fielders and the umpires before taking strike.

The England skipper gave his side a blazing start, smashing two sixes inside the first five overs as the Trent Bridge crowd cheered him on in the hope of witnessing one final heroic innings. However, he was dismissed for 30, walking back to yet another standing ovation.

Stokes, who will continue to play county cricket for Durham, said the responsibility of leading England had left him emotionally drained.

"It's the best thing that I've ever been asked to do - captaining this team, captaining this country," he told Sky Sports. "It’s the greatest honour that can ever be put on your shoulders as a player, but there's another side to it that people don't see and don't understand. Only the people close to you can really see what you do go through emotionally," he added. 

"As good as it is, there are bits that do get you, do drain you and do affect you in a negative way. But overall, for four and a half years, or whatever it's been, I've loved every single moment of it."

In a video shared by the ECB, Stokes told his teammates: "The only thing that I want is to be able to walk off the end of that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I've had this group... give everything for the last two days.

"All the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can we just wait for the end of the game?"

The 35-year-old, who made his international debut in 2011, has led England's Test side since 2022.

Known for his fearless batting and inspirational leadership, Stokes played a pivotal role in England winning their maiden 50-over World Cup in 2019, scoring an unbeaten 84 in the final.

Later that same summer, his unforgettable 135 not out at Headingley guided England to a remarkable one-wicket victory over Australia after they had been bowled out for just 67 in the first innings. The knock is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test innings of all time.