England’s skipper Ben Stokes admitted he didn’t have much fuel left in tank after he decided to hang his boots from International cricket during the third Test match against New Zealand. The Kiwis registered a comprehensive 160-run win against the home team at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Monday.
In his last Test innings against New Zealand, Stokes was promoted to open and scored 30 runs off 20 balls before getting caught. Stokes scored 7273 runs in 122 Test matches at an average of 34.47 and scalped 252 wickets at an average of 30.99.
The all-rounder had come under scrutiny after he broke the night curfew after England won the opening Test match against the Blackcaps and then had an altercation in a nightclub.
“I explained that in as much detail as I could yesterday. I hope it can be respected that the most important person to make the decision is myself. I spoke to a number of people I trust, tried to get myself through the series, but it wasn’t meant to be. Happy with everything I did in my career. It is sad, some things I will miss. A lot of emotion, but I’m proud of what I did and grateful to the fans who follow us around and show their support,” Stokes said at the post-match presentation.
“Told people I’m close to in the team the night before. The comms team I’ve got here, they came up with a plan. Look at the way the last two weeks have unfolded, and it’s been interesting. Something pretty simple ended up being a bit complicated. I can look back and have a laugh, there was a bit controversy around my last game, but I’ll look back fondly,” he added.
Stokes expressed his gratitude after playing with great England players like Joe Root, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, and Alastair Cook.
“Look back at some things I’ve been involved in, being able to say I’ve played with the best players England has produced. I know I’ve done some decent things on the field but I’m lucky I’ve seen Joe Root, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Alastair Cook. Not only have I been involved, as a proud Englishman, but also with some of the greats of the game,” he said.
Stokes always gave his all on the field, and he can be really proud of his career.
