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Ben Stokes' retirement from international cricket has not only shocked the cricket world but has also started a fresh debate in England. Many fans left emotional after one of England's greatest all-rounders announced calling time on his career, but Andrew Strauss slammed the timing.
The former England captain believes that Stokes announced his decision at the wrong moment. England were still fighting in the series-deciding third and final Test against New Zealand when Stokes revealed that the match would be the last of his international career.
Ben Stokes' retirement decision in the middle of NZ Test raised eyebrows
The three-match Test series was level at 1-1, and England still had a chance to avoid losing the series. The team needed full concentration during the final two days of the match, but Ben Stokes informed his teammates about his decision on the morning of Day 4 at Trent Bridge.
Later the same day, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officially announced his retirement while the match was still in progress. Before the official announcement, England head coach Brendon McCullum tried to stop Ben Stokes from retiring.
As soon as the news broke out, all attention shifted to Ben Stokes' retirement, and England paid the price as they suffered a crushing 160-run defeat with New Zealand's historic series 2-1 win on the final day.
Andrew Strauss questions Ben Stokes' big retirement decision
Reacting to the decision, Andrew Strauss feels that was not the right situation for such a big announcement. The former England captain feels every great player deserves the right to choose how their career ends, but the announcement should have come either before the Test started or after it had finished.
He pointed out that Stokes’ announcement has only added extra emotions and unnecessary pressure around the team, with almost every discussion becoming about the all-rounder’s farewell.
Strauss stated, as quoted by the Hindustan Times, "Everyone has the right to bow out on their own terms, and no one has earned that more than Ben, but announcing before or after the game seems like a more sensible approach.
When you are in the middle of a match, the only thing that matters is the performance of the team. It seems like a huge distraction to a team that was battling to avoid a series defeat, and the cricket in the last session very much had an ‘end of term’ feel to it.”
Michael Vaughan left stunned by Ben Stokes' emotional England exit
Many compared Stokes' farewell with Stuart Broad's retirement during the 2023 Ashes. Broad had also announced his retirement before the end of a Test match, but he helped England win the match and level the Ashes series. However, Stokes finished his international career with defeat.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was not happy with such an end to one of England's greatest cricketers, saying Stokes deserved a better finish to his memorable career. Vaughan said, “A bizarre way for one of England’s greatest cricketers to bow out.”
Notably, Stokes ended his international career as one of only two players in Test cricket history, along with Jacques Kallis, to score over 7,000 runs and take more than 250 wickets. He played 122 Tests for England and scored 7,273 runs and took 252 wickets.
