In a move that surprised supporters and shocked even his own teammates Ben Stokes has announced his retirement as captain of England’s Test team, and from international cricket, effective as of the end of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Having broken the news to the dressing room on Sunday morning – “It was shock,” Stokes said of the reaction, adding that Brendon McCullum, the team’s head coach, “was pretty taken aback” – the decision was made public with typically dramatic timing: in the fourth day of a match, 15 minutes before tea, with England in the field and Stokes labouring through a trademark, extended bowling spell.
