Stokes stuns world as he quits sport mid-Test

ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes stunned the cricketing world with his bombshell retirement, then confirmed his status as the outgoing people’s champion with a magically timed farewell wicket.

- By RORY DOLLARD

In a jaw-dropping development at Trent Bridge, a statement dropped at 3.25pm on day four of the series-deciding third Test against New Zealand confirming that one of the most celebrated, storied and successful players of his generation would be walking away for good at the end of the match.

The end of Stokes’ era comes just three weeks after the nightclub visit that plunged England into turmoil and his own future into doubt. After a disciplinary investigation, he and Gus Atkinson were handed a written conduct warning for “specific contractual obligations” but were effectively cleared of anything more than being out in the early hours following a Test victory at Lord’s.

As the news filtered through the crowd in Nottingham, the stadium rose to give the departing Test skipper a spontaneous standing ovation just as the 35-year-old was ready to start the 11th over of a trademark mammoth bowling spell.

With a true showman’s timing, Stokes did the unthinkable with his very next delivery - taking Zak Foulkes’ edge and sealing a dismissal that earned an instant place in his stacked pantheon of unforgettable moments.