England captain Ben Stokes stunned the cricketing world with a bombshell mid-match retirement before confirming his status because the outgoing people’s champion with a magical farewell wicket, though Recent Zealand remained firmly on track for a Test series victory.
On a jaw-dropping fourth day of the series decider at Trent Bridge, a press release dropped at 3.25pm announcing that one of the crucial celebrated, storied and successful players of his generation could be walking away for good at the top of the match.
Defeat in his 122nd and last Test outing seems certain – England thrashing their strategy to 103 for 4 chasing 373 – but Stokes’ dramatic goodbye demanded top billing.
Because the shock news filtered through the gang in Nottingham, the stadium rose as one to present the departing Test skipper a spontaneous standing ovation – just because the 35-year-old was ready to start out the eleventh over of a trademark mammoth bowling spell.
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Guard of honour
With a real showman’s timing, Stokes did the unthinkable along with his very next delivery – taking Zak Foulkes’ edge and sealing a dismissal that earned an easy place in his stacked pantheon of unforgettable moments.
The group erupted in celebration, while his team-mates engulfed him in their very own private retirement party.
He was cheered to the rafters as he walked off for tea and was last to return to the pitch for the evening, with the remainder of the England side and Recent Zealand’s not-out batters giving him a guard of honour.
When Recent Zealand finally declared on 288 for nine, leaving an enormous goal on an unreliable pitch, Stokes had one last surprise up his sleeve.
PICTURES: Joe Giddens/PA
Final act of ‘Bazball’
He moved himself up the order, from number seven to opener, indulging a final act of ‘Bazball’ hubris because the chapter closed.
He batted manically for 20 balls, launching two big sixes to please his public but in addition swinging wildly as he wheeled through a repertoire that included reverse sweeps and ramps.
The music stopped on 30 when he dragged Foulkes to midwicket, momentarily chastising himself before accepting handshakes from his opponents and taking in one other burst of acclaim from the stands.
There could be no repeat of his Headingley miracle from the 2019 Ashes, or his matchwinning turn in one other seemingly doomed chase in that summer’s World Cup final.
This time, Stokes had run out of road.
Disbelief
The top of Stokes’ era comes exactly three weeks after the nightclub visit that plunged England into turmoil and solid his own future into doubt.
After a disciplinary investigation, he and Gus Atkinson were handed a written conduct warning by the England and Wales Cricket Board for breaching “specific contractual obligations” but were effectively cleared of anything greater than being out within the early hours following a Test victory at Lord’s.
Stokes informed the England team and entourage of his decision in a passionate dressing room address before the beginning of play, imploring them to come back with him on one final ride within the Test arena.
The England and Wales Cricket Board shared a clip showing the moment Stokes broke the news to his colleagues, with the skipper holding court as an open-mouthed Jacob Bethell watched on in disbelief.
Emotion
“That is my last two days as your captain, and my last two days as representing England,” he told them.
“Reasons can wait (as to) why, but I’ve had many trips to the well before for this team, for you blokes, for people beforehand, and I’ve got yet another trip to do.
“The one thing that I ask, please, is can everyone else please just do the identical?
“All of the taps on the a***, all of the emotion, all that form of stuff, please can it just wait until the top of this game?”
Rumours that Stokes was able to announce his exit initially swirled within the 24 hours after the ECB announced he and Atkinson were being investigated and referred to the Cricket Regulator following an incident at Chelsea nightspot the Rex Rooms.
A physical altercation with Saracens rugby union player Totoa Auvaa had taken place but it surely was later established that Stokes didn’t even witness two “unprovoked attacks”.
Questions
Tensions eased sufficiently for Stokes to return to guide the team in Nottingham but it surely was apparent at his pre-match press conference – the primary time he addressed events publicly – that things weren’t right.
He apologised to his team for setting in motion events that saw them lose in his absence on the Oval but didn’t mention his employers or offer any direct assessment of his treatment.
Pressed about his future, he offered a deliberately opaque answer that invited speculation over how long he could be around.
The reply to that’s now known but there are questions still to reply.
First, what home truths he’ll tell when the confines of his central contract are removed and second, whether there are some other senior casualties because the Bazball project concludes.
READ MORE: Stuart Broad leads tributes after England captain Ben Stokes’ shock retirement announcement
