Ben Stokes spent his last morning as an England cricketer in training kit, not whites. Once New Zealand wrapped up the six wickets they needed at Trent Bridge, the all-rounder drifted through the usual fare – Test Match Special, presentation duties, half-an-hour with the press – before Joe Root handed him a £700 bottle of single malt, the box signed by every team-mate. Family photos followed on the outfield; then he was gone.
Key facts
• Retirement announced after the third Test defeat by New Zealand.
• Plans an immediate safari holiday with family.
• Intends to play County Championship cricket for Durham later this summer.
• Leaves door ajar, if only slightly, for an Ashes U-turn.
Holiday, then county work
Stokes’ first commitment is strictly domestic – quite literally. “When this Test match is done, I’ll be waking up in a lodge with the white rhinos merking about in the background,” he said. “[I’m] very much looking forward to that, a little bit of rest and recoup.”
Durham are next on the list. He loved two unexpected days with them during the Oval week, when his ECB suspension left him free to turn out in Division Two. “I texted [Durham head coach] Ryan Campbell [on Sunday] night, just saying, ‘Up the Ds’,” Stokes revealed. Campbell’s tongue-in-cheek reply – “I’ve probably got a rookie contract on the table for you if you want it” – says plenty about the mood in the north-east.
Durham have no firm dates, yet September seems realistic. Promotion to Division One is close and Stokes in that dressing-room, pads on, would not harm the push. His initial idea of 50-over cricket as Pakistan warm-up is redundant now, but four-day games still appeal.
“I can [now] just go out and play for Durham and play the game, and if I’ve had a good day or if I’ve had a bad day, I can just go home, have a bit of dinner and then rock up the next day,” he said. “I know it sounds silly, but… it does take its toll.”
Why step away at 35?
Stokes admitted the “extra responsibilities” of leading England were draining. Friends say Yorkshire’s rain-affected draw last month showed him how fragile the body felt; the mind wasn’t far behind. With 138 Tests, a World Cup, one Lord’s honours board century and more comebacks than most, he has calculated the risk–reward balance and stepped off.
Ashes whispers
He tried to kill the question on Monday but it keeps twitching. England play Australia in 12 months’ time and the squad still lacks a match-defining middle-order player who can bowl 20 overs a day. Stokes insists he is done; selectors are unlikely to delete his number. A call-up crisis – injuries, form collapses – would trigger predictable headlines.
One coach privately argues the decision may prove similar to Jimmy Anderson’s 2019 white-ball retirement: logical at the time, reversible when needed. Another points out the ECB were happy to woo Moeen Ali back last minute; Stokes, one suspects, would be an easier sell.
Franchise temptations
Money is not everything for a player with central-contract savings and sponsor deals, yet global T20 tournaments offer both freedom and change of scene. Stokes hinted he will look at “whatever other opportunities there are”. IPL is straightforward – Rajasthan Royals retain his rights and would pick him in a heartbeat. SA20 and the Caribbean Premier League run outside the English summer, so do the Big Bash and ILT20. The Hundred would remain an option too, although time at home might win that particular debate.
Coaching, commentary, charity work
Stokes is a restless personality. Several former team-mates say the dressing-room teacher in him points towards coaching eventually, though not immediately. Media outlets have made enquiries; a short studio cameo during the next IPL feels inevitable. His work with the Ben Stokes Foundation, still in its infancy, will now get calendar space.
Reality check
Walking away from England’s captaincy does not mean leaving the game. Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Chris Woakes all slipped back into county routines after Test careers wound down. Each discovered new rhythms, fewer flights, more family dinners. Stokes hopes the same.
He is clear-eyed about what the next fortnight involves – packing sun cream, showing his son a rhino, ignoring push notifications. Later in the year, he will probably pull on a Durham helmet and try to bat time on a chilly Chester-le-Street morning. The Ashes talk will bubble on airwaves he is not listening to, at least for now. In the end, the key decision is his, not ours.
And that, for the moment, is where the story rests.
