England cricket captain Ben Stokes declared his retirement from international cricket on day four of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge on June 28, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. He informed his teammates of the decision before the start of play on day four [1, 2, 4]. Moments after the announcement became public, Stokes took a wicket with the first ball he bowled, dismissing Zak Foulkes caught at second slip [1, 5, 2, 4].

Stokes, 35, ends a 15-year international career spanning 122 Test matches, 114 one-day internationals, and 43 T20 internationals for England [1, 2, 3]. He has captained England in 44 Tests, including the current series against New Zealand [1].

He missed the second Test due to an incident at a London nightclub but returned as captain for the third Test [1, 2, 3, 4]. The England side faces a likely series defeat as the home team was 103-4 chasing 373 runs on day four [4, 6].

Stokes said retiring was "the best thing" for him and hoped it would also benefit the team. He denied quitting solely because of the recent off-field incident, saying he had considered retirement since the 2019-20 Ashes defeat in Australia. He explained, "The Lord's Test, for me, was something that brought back negative feelings... I just burned myself out" [3]. Playing for his county Durham after missing the second Test had renewed his love for cricket, but he could not regain that feeling during the current Test week [3].

Former England captain Michael Vaughan praised Stokes' playing abilities and winning mentality. He called Stokes "one of England's greatest when the pressure's on" and said "That was an immediate reminder of what England are going to miss" [2]. Vaughan expressed hope the off-field issues were not the main reason for the retirement, stating he hoped Stokes "just woke up one morning and said he'd had enough" [2].

After the announcement, Stokes opened the batting to a guard of honour and a standing ovation from players and crowd [7, 4]. He addressed teammates: "Please, everyone else come with me. I've got the emotional side out of it. Now it's time to go to work" [1].

The third Test is scheduled to conclude on June 29, when Stokes will officially retire from international cricket [1, 3, 4].