Stokes leaves to a hero's farewell... as English cricket collapses behind him

Stokes announced his retirement mid-Test, almost immediately took a wicket after news broke, and then elevated himself to the top of the order for his final innings.

""You've got to go back to the punishment handed down to him for breaking a curfew, when he was dropped for a test, allegedly," Craddock explains.

"They thought that would gently nudge him towards resigning from the captaincy, but it went the opposite way, he challenged them, and he said behind closed doors... Harry Brook punched a bouncer in New Zealand and got no suspension whatsoever.

"I copped a game for being out beyond a meaningless curfew, which I wasn't even sure was in place because it was the end of a Test match.

"So, he came back into camp furious, he made up his mind before the test. He spoke to his family, I believe they had a corporate box organised... and finally the decision was announced to his teammates before play.

"He opened the innings, went out and smashed 30 off 20 balls... he went crazy, and it was a display of self-indulgence and contrariness.

"I don't have that much sympathy for him because he did break that curfew after the first test victory... my heart doesn't bleed for Ben Stokes.

"Michael Vaughan said it, he said he's only been retired three hours, yet cricket seems more boring already, and that's true.

The retirement of Ben Stokes and the way it has come about is all a bit “odd”, according to Gerard Whateley.

“Ever the showman, his overnight announcement was made to the crowd at Trent Bridge while he was at the bowling crease and met with a standing ovation. He then immediately took a wicket.

“He smashed 30 from 20 balls before departing the scene one last time as England lost the wickets that will make any fifth-day heroics nigh on impossible.

“Stokes is a giant of the era, immensely skilful, lion-hearted, and deeply flawed. I feel a little sadness in how this has ended amid broken curfews, failed regimes, and collapsing legacies.

“Had the necessary and proportional action been taken after the Ashes debacle, perhaps he wouldn't have been lost to cricket. Maybe he might have made it to the last stand of next year's Ashes.

“But England has chosen a course of closing its eyes and pretending things aren't so. The delusion is destructive and collapses that hand.

The England captain informed his teammates prior to play on Day 4 of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge that this match will be his last.

“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,” he said.

“The only thing that I ask, please, is can everyone do the same. We’ve got a lot of hard work to do and the only thing 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. I’ve got the emotional side out of it. Now it’s time to go to work. Please, everyone else come with me.”

"There's been moments this week where it's been really tough and again that just adds to everything. It really makes it very clear in your mind that you're probably making the right decision."

He says it has come to a point where he finds it difficult to get up for each matchn with England.

"The whole Lord's Test to me was something that I guess brought back some negative feelings about where I was in my career," Stokes explained.

"I'd worked so hard from getting back home (from the Ashes) to try and make things right - that's what I thought I was doing. I'd put so much time and effort into it, I maybe potentially had burnt myself out.

"When I got to that week at Lord's, it was a very interesting and strange feeling to go into that game. I gave myself as much time (on retirement), I spoke to as many people as I possibly could through the process of this.

"As I was putting me pads on yesterday (Saturday), getting ready to go out there, that was that sort of last nail in the coffin."

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