KABUL (Pajhwok): England captain Ben Stokes has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand.
The 35-year-old all-rounder, widely regarded as one of England’s greatest cricketers, made the decision during the match at Trent Bridge on Sunday, with the announcement confirmed while he was in the middle of a bowling spell.
Remarkably, Stokes took a wicket with the very next delivery after news of his retirement became public, dismissing Zak Foulkes at second slip, the BBC reported.
Stokes missed England’s second Test due to an off-field incident in London and had earlier described his role as captain as being limited to “this week”.
He informed his teammates of his decision ahead of the fourth day of the final Test, delivering an emotional message in the dressing room in which he urged the team to give maximum effort in the remaining play.
England are chasing 373 for victory in the match, which marks the final chapter of Stokes’ 15-year international career.
He promoted himself to open the innings and scored 30 off 20 balls before being dismissed by Foulkes, caught by Daryl Mitchell.
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