Ben Stokes Retires, Leaving Behind a 1-to-11 Record for the Ages
England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes recently announced his retirement from international cricket, leaving behind an unmatched legacy.
Although his brilliant performances in the World Cups and the Ashes Test series are among the highlights of his career, one achievement says much more about Ben Stokes the cricketer: he is the only player in Test cricket history to have batted at all positions in the batting order.
He is the only player in Test cricket history to have batted at all positions in the batting order. He has batted from the opening to the last position and has also taken seven wickets of batters who batted in these positions.
He also became the only fielder to have taken catches of batters from each batting position.
All in all, whenever the team expected him to perform, he rose to the occasion. That was the pattern throughout his career.
Why did Ben Stokes retire from Test cricket?
The ECB took to its official X account and shared a video. In it, he said his retirement could wait and that he had to represent England one last time before leaving the sport.
After that, during an interaction on Sky Sports following stumps on the fourth day of the third Test against New Zealand, Stokes opened up about why he made this decision.
“It’s been an interesting four to five weeks, and six months generally. Emotions when this day comes for everyone: there’s relief, happiness, excitement, sadness- everything you go through. All of those words I use there”, Ben Stokes was quoted as saying on Sky Sports.
He also said that the mental and physical exhaustion over the last few months had affected him hugely, and that the expectations of the Ashes Test series in Australia added to it.
“I put so much time and effort into it; I may have burnt out. Everyone talks about the day [they resigned the captaincy]: what’s it like? They say it hits you in the face. And I thought a few weeks ago it did. I was putting pads on yesterday, getting ready to go out there, and that was the final nail in the coffin,” he added.
What's next for Ben Stokes after retiring from international cricket?
He made his international debut in 2011 and has since represented England in more than 250 matches across all formats.
His match-winning knock of 84 runs during the 2019 ODI World Cup summit clash against the Kane Williamson-led side helped them win their first ODI World Cup title.
He may have retired from international cricket, but he isn’t moving away completely from the sport. His next step is still tied to it.
“I am very excited about the next part, which is going back to play for my boyhood club, Durham. I am comparing this week to last right now and buzzing because of it. There have been moments this week that have been really tough. They just add to everything and make it in the back of your mind that you’re making the right decision,” he concluded.
Harry Brook might replace him as captain of England’s Test team, but they won’t be able to replace someone like him.
