Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket on 28 June 2026, during the third Rothesay Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. The 35-year-old ends his international career with 7,273 runs and 252 wickets from 122 Tests, alongside 114 ODIs and 43 T20Is. His final match ended in a 160-run defeat, handing New Zealand a 2-1 series victory.
A Career Defined by Big Moments
Born on 4 June 1991 in Christchurch, New Zealand, Benjamin Andrew Stokes moved to England as a child and grew up in Cockermouth, Cumbria. He made his international debut in a white-ball match against Ireland in September 2011, followed by his Test debut at Adelaide in December 2013 during the Ashes.
Stokes built a reputation as England’s ultimate big-match player. His unbeaten 84 in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s forced a Super Over against New Zealand, handing England their first 50-over World Cup title. Just six weeks later, he produced one of the greatest Test innings ever played: an unbeaten 135 at Headingley that dragged England from the edge of defeat to a one-wicket victory over Australia in the Ashes. In 2022, he played a crucial hand in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in Melbourne, making England the first team to hold both white-ball World Cups simultaneously.
His highest Test score came against South Africa in Cape Town in January 2016, when he smashed 258 off 198 balls with 30 fours and 11 sixes. This remains the fastest 250 in Test history, reached in just 196 balls, and is the highest score by any batsman batting at number six. Along with Jonny Bairstow, he added 399 runs for the sixth wicket in that innings, a world record that stood until 2026.
The Elite Double: 7,000 Runs and 250 Wickets
Stokes retired with 7,273 Test runs at an average of 34.46, including 14 centuries and 37 half-centuries, along with 252 wickets at an average of 31.03. During his final Test at Trent Bridge, he became only the second cricketer in history to achieve the Test double of 7,000 runs and 250 wickets, joining the South African legend Jacques Kallis (13,289 runs and 292 wickets).
This feat places Stokes among the finest all-rounders in cricket history. Across all formats, he finished with 12,875 runs and 393 wickets from 279 international appearances. He is England’s leading wicket-taker among Test captains with 84 wickets, surpassing Bob Willis. With 138 sixes in Tests, he holds the world record for the most sixes in the longest format.
Records and Milestones
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| Test runs | 7,273 at 34.46 (14 centuries, 37 fifties) |
| Test wickets | 252 at 31.03 (6 five-wicket hauls) |
| Highest Test score | 258 vs South Africa, Cape Town, 2016 |
| Fastest 250 in Tests | 196 balls vs South Africa, 2016 |
| World record sixes in Tests | 138 sixes |
| Test wins as captain | 24 wins in 44 Tests |
| Draw percentage as captain | 4.55% (lowest among captains with 25+ Tests) |
| ICC titles won | 2019 ODI World Cup, 2022 T20 World Cup |
| Wisden Leading Cricketer | 2019, 2020, 2022 |
Stokes also scored the fastest Test fifty by an Englishman in July 2024, reaching 50 off just 24 balls against the West Indies. He was named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2019 and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award that same year.
Captaincy and the Bazball Revolution
Stokes was appointed England’s Test captain in April 2022, succeeding Joe Root. Alongside head coach Brendon McCullum, he introduced an ultra-aggressive brand of Test cricket that came to be known as Bazball. Under this approach, England scored at a run rate of 4.40 per over (the highest for any captain with 25 or more Tests) and produced only 4.55% draws, the lowest in Test history among full-time captains.
England won 24 of 44 Tests under Stokes, with 17 losses. Only Joe Root (27) and Michael Vaughan (26) have more Test wins as England captains. The team chased targets of 350 or more on two occasions under his leadership, including 378 against India at Edgbaston and 371 against Australia at Headingley.
Stokes’s tenure was not without controversy. He missed the second Test of the New Zealand series after an investigation into a London nightclub incident that ultimately exonerated him. He cited the physical and mental toll of international cricket as the primary reason for his retirement, telling Sky Sports that the decision was “genuinely the best thing for me right now.” He recommended vice-captain Harry Brook as his successor.
Key Takeaways
- England Test captain Ben Stokes retired from international cricket on 28 June 2026 during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
- He finished with 7,273 runs and 252 wickets in 122 Tests, becoming the second player after Jacques Kallis to achieve the 7,000 runs and 250 wickets double.
- Stokes holds the world record for the most sixes in Test cricket (138) and scored the fastest 250 in Test history (196 balls) against South Africa in 2016.
- He won both the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup with England, scoring match-winning knocks in both finals.
- As captain, he won 24 of 44 Tests and, alongside Brendon McCullum, pioneered the Bazball approach that transformed England’s Test cricket.
- Born on 4 June 1991 in Christchurch, New Zealand, he was named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2019 and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award that same year.
