Ben Stokes is standing down as England’s Test captain and has confirmed his imminent retirement from international cricket in a shock development.
Stokes revealed his decision to team-mates during an emotional speech made in the Trent Bridge dressing room before play began on day four of the decisive third Test between England and New Zealand, with an official announcement then made publicly on Sunday afternoon.
“There’s something that I know is going to happen over the next two days, which is going to be, this is my last two days as your captain and my last two days representing England,” Stokes said, fighting back tears.
"The reasons can wait, why, but I've had many trips to the well before for this team, for you blokes, for people beforehand and I've got one more trip to do.
“The only thing that I ask, please, is can everyone please just do the same.
“We've got a lot of hard work to do and the only thing that I want is to be able to walk off that field, regardless of the result, knowing that I've had this group give everything for the last two days.
“That's the only thing I want, for everyone to give it not only for me, selfishly, but also for this team and everything else we’ve got going forward for you blokes.
One of England's all-time greatest captains, Ben Stokes, has decided to retire from international cricket at the end of this Test match.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 28, 2026
Ben, you have been the most inspirational captain, leader and legend this team could have ever hoped for.
We love you so much and wish you… pic.twitter.com/U5grq0F0kj
“All the taps on the a**e, all the emotion, all that kind of stuff, please can we just wait for the end of this game? Because we’ve still got a s**tload more work to do and I’ve got a s**tload more work to do that I want to do.
“Let’s just go out there and f*****g give absolutely everything for another two days, because that’s my only intention and that’s where all my energy is right now.
“I've got the emotional side out of it, but now it's time to go to work and everyone else, please just come with me.”
Stokes’ speech - released on England’s social media channels - was followed by a round of applause and a standing ovation from England’s players and staff, with the news later filtering around a stunned Trent Bridge crowd as he prepared to bowl the 11th over of a marathon spell in New Zealand’s second innings.
In his very first ball after the announcement was made, Stokes had Zak Foulkes caught by vice-captain Harry Brook at second slip to spark wild celebrations.
Stokes then received a guard of honour and another standing ovation from the crowd as both teams returned to the field after tea.
All-rounder Stokes will go down as one of England’s greatest-ever players, having made his white-ball debut in 2011 and first appeared for the Test side in 2013.
His most memorable moments include a crucial man-of-the-match role in England’s nail-biting super-over victory against New Zealand in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s, while his remarkable 135 against Australia at Headingley in 2019 has a prominent place in Ashes folklore.
Stokes succeeded Joe Root as England Test captain in 2022, but doubts regarding his future in the role emerged after a humiliating 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia over the winter.
Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were both dropped for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval earlier this month amid an ECB investigation into an incident that occurred in a Chelsea nightclub, when a member of the ECB’s security staff was struck by Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa.
An ECB disciplinary hearing found that Stokes and Atkinson had breached “contractual obligations”, but said that “no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub”.
The ECB said that Stokes was “not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident”, while they said Atkinson was “the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion”.
Both players were given a written warning, while a a separate investigation by the Cricket Regulator found there was insufficient evidence to establish that any regulatory breach had occurred, with no action taken.
Root - and not usual Test vice-skipper Brook - temporarily took back the captaincy for the second Test, which England lost by 253 runs after winning by 115 runs in the opener at Lord’s, setting up a series decider at Trent Bridge.
Stokes and Atkinson both returned to the England team for the third Test, with Stokes apologising to his team-mates but refusing to discuss his long-term future.
