Surely no one expected Ben Stokes to slip away quietly. True to form, he remained the central figure right to the finish, swinging Zak Foulkes into the hands of Daryl Mitchell at midwicket, tilting his head back in frustration, and then making the long walk off to a standing ovation from a crowd still processing the news of his retirement — and perhaps not quite ready to believe it.
It was 5.48pm when Stokes departed for 30 from 20 balls, having helped Ben Duckett launch England’s pursuit of 373 with a thunderous opening partnership of 50. In that brief burst, he struck two sixes and two fours, giving New Zealand a sharp reminder of the chaos he has so often been able to create.
Even so, that lively cameo was not the most unmistakably Stokes moment of the fourth day of this deciding Test. By the close — and it is worth noting — England were 103 for four, staring at a first defeat in a home series of more than two matches since 2012.
The scene that truly captured the drama of the day arrived just after 3.25pm, when the ECB confirmed that Stokes was bringing his international career to an end. Within two minutes, as the news swept across social media, the crowd rose in unison. Moments later, almost on cue, Stokes found the edge of Foulkes, with Harry Brook holding a low catch at second slip.
It was the sort of moment that demanded a reaction. Joe Root summed it up afterwards with a smile: “It was classic Ben Stokes, wasn’t it. The most Ben thing ever…”
Cricket has seen this kind of theatre before. Back in 1986, Graham Gooch famously asked Ian Botham, “Who writes your scripts?” after Botham returned from a drugs ban and immediately dismissed New Zealand’s Bruce Edgar with his first ball at The Oval.
England captain Ben Stokes is set to say goodbye to international cricket tomorrow at Trent Bridge
Stokes made 30 from 20 balls in his final innings for England before picking out Daryl Mitchell at midwicket
He trudged off the turf in Nottingham to a standing ovation. Test Cricket will be a quieter, less colourful place without him
Stokes was returning from a spot of bother himself, the Rex Rooms in Chelsea having entered English sport’s lexicon of infamy.
Yet no sooner has he returned than he is off again, the acclaim of the fans ringing in his ears, his final pitchside interviews with Sky and the BBC competing with their chants and chunters as he fell into an embrace with his wife Clare and children Layton and Libby.
His last act as a bowler had been vintage Stokes, an 11-over spell costing just 16 runs and producing the wickets of Mitchell Santner, caught behind for a duck, and – emotions now running high – Foulkes, his 252nd and final Test victim.
At first it seemed he was pushing himself to the brink because England don’t play another Test until August 19 against Pakistan at Headingley. But when it became clear he no longer had any reason to spare his body, everything began to make sense.
The tetchiness before the first Test, when he was already considering his future. The rebellious night out after it, when he knew his time was up. The sense of release during his mini-exile back in Durham, where he intends to play on. And his refusal, last week, to commit beyond this match. He was, he said, ‘burnt out’.
With a series still to be resolved, his penultimate day as a Test cricketer turned into something between a tribute act and a delirious farewell to the Bazball era.
He led England off at tea to another ovation, then walked back on to a guard of honour from his own team-mates. After Daryl Mitchell’s resilient six-and-a-half-hour century triggered New Zealand’s declaration at 288 for nine, the tourists gave Stokes a guard of honour of their own.
By now, he had decided that he – not Emilio Gay – would open the innings, at which point events took on a surreal complexion.
Earlier in the day, just minutes after his retirement was made public, Stokes dismisses Zak Foulkes
Stokes bowed out on his own terms, playing the kind of cricket that has made his England team so watchable
Stokes spoke of being ‘burnt out’ in his post-match interview, but the England captain can now rest with his wife and children
He cracked his first ball straight to mid-off, and missed a reverse-scoop from his second. To his sixth he advanced, plonking Foulkes into the pavilion. Later, he heaved Nathan Smith over deep backward square, then slashed Foulkes over the slips.
‘The captain’s gone rogue,’ exclaimed Mark Butcher up in the commentary box. But the fun couldn’t last. The ball after launching Foulkes through the covers, Stokes aimed something murderous to leg and picked out Mitchell, who celebrated as if the series had just been won.
There was nothing normal, either, about the remaining 40 minutes of play. Jacob Bethell padded up to his fourth ball, lbw to Foulkes for a duck. Brook pulled his first for six, and scooped his second for four. By the time he flicked the ninth delivery he faced to fine leg, he had made 21.
Root reverse-scooped his second ball for four, while Duckett dinked and scooped as if playing T20. Moments before the close, he edged Ben Sears to Mitchell at a deepish slip for 36, and England were 95 for four from just 14 overs.
Had they resolved to attack New Zealand after their strokeless third-morning collapse? Had they been infected by their captain’s mania? Or were they determined to send him off in the grand manner?
Root said later that scoring runs on this pitch against the old ball had proved tricky, so England chose to try to take an early chunk out of the chase. It was not emotional batting, he said – ‘purely tactical’.
Yet this game will be won by a New Zealand team who played the gutsier cricket, and who declined to be sucked into the melodrama of it all. Barring an unlikely recovery by England, they will soon be celebrating one of their most famous triumphs.
It’s probably wrong to quibble on a day like this. Stokes bowed out on his own terms, playing the kind of cricket that has made his England team the most watchable – though not always the most successful – Test side in the world these past four years.
And he did it his way, aiming one last mow across the line and cursing himself at the thought of the glory within his grasp. There will be no more Test glory now. World cricket will be a quieter, less colourful, place without Ben Stokes.
