Ben Stokes Reveals Real Reason Behind Shock International Retirement

Ben Stokes has never done anything quietly in his cricket career. He made a big impact when he started, led England with passion, and has now announced his retirement in the same way. On Sunday, the England captain surprised the cricket world by revealing that the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge will be his final international match.

After playing 122 Tests, 114 ODIs, and 43 T20Is over a 15-year career, Stokes has decided to retire from international cricket. Stokes wasn’t in the peak of his career. Still, the timing took everyone by surprise. England are in the middle of a series decider, and Stokes remains one of the most influential cricketers in the world. But according to the 35-year-old, the decision had been brewing for months.

The all-rounder had been thinking about retiring while he was under investigation for violating the midnight curfew rule. But the ECB let Stokes and Gus Atkinson off with just a one-match ban. After that, he came back as skipper and captained England in the 3rd Test against New Zealand. Many have linked Stokes’ retirement to the nightclub controversy that saw him dropped for the second Test against New Zealand. However, the England captain made it clear that there’s much more to it.

Stokes Explains His Retirement Decision

In fact, the decision stretched a long time, and perhaps the nightclub episode was the final nail in the coffin. The change of heart, according to Stokes, came after England’s crushing Ashes defeat in Australia earlier this year. The physical demands of being England’s premier all-rounder, coupled with the pressures of captaincy, slowly began to take their toll.

“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.”

“The Lord’s Test, for me, was something that brought back negative feelings about where I was in my career. I’d worked so hard since getting home after the Ashes loss 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 burnt myself out.”

“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. 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.”

Stokes discovered something special when he played one County match for Durham during this difficult period. While serving his suspension for the second Test, he returned to the county where his professional career began. Away from the pressure of international cricket, Stokes found the joy of playing the game again and realized what he had been missing.

“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.”

“I’m very excited about the next part of what I get to do. Going back to playing for my boyhood club, Durham, I’m comparing this week to that week. Right now I am buzzing, but there have been moments this week that have been really tough and it just adds to everything and it makes it clear that I’ve made the right decision.”