{"id":778065,"date":"2026-07-04T07:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T07:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/778065\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T07:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T07:17:09","slug":"ben-stokes-a-great-england-captains-last-hurrah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/778065\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Stokes: a great England captain\u2019s last hurrah"},"content":{"rendered":"

The career of Ben Stokes has been littered with \u201cextraordinary scenes\u201d, said Ali Martin in The Guardian<\/a> \u2013 and there was a final one last Sunday, on his penultimate day as an England cricketer. At 3.27pm on the fourth day of the third Test against New Zealand, Stokes was \u201cabout to start the 11th over of another marathon spell\u201d, when a \u201cripple of applause\u201d broke out around Trent Bridge.<\/p>\n

That morning, the England captain had told his teammates that he\u2019d be retiring from internationals at the end of the Test \u2013 and the news had just been made public. Now that the crowd were \u201cin on the secret\u201d, they rose as one to roar their \u201cchampion all-rounder\u201d as he hurtled towards the crease. \u201cAnd then it happened.\u201d Stokes\u2019s delivery found the edge of Zak Foulkes\u2019s bat, and \u201cflew low into the hands of Harry Brook at second slip\u201d.<\/p>\n

Final flourish<\/p>\n

With his 252nd Test wicket, Stokes had provided one last \u201cI was there moment\u201d, to go with \u201ccountless others\u201d throughout his career. As his teammate Joe Root said later: \u201cIt was the most Ben Stokes thing you will ever see.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Later that same day, Stokes \u201cadded a final, frantic flourish\u201d to the Bazball<\/a> era, by promoting himself to open England\u2019s fourth innings, said Nick Hoult in The Daily Telegraph<\/a>. With his team needing 373 in just under four sessions, he charged down the pitch to his first ball, attempted to reverse sweep his second, and smacked his sixth for six. But his somewhat \u201creckless\u201d cameo was short-lived \u2013 he departed after hitting 30 from 20 balls \u2013 and after that England\u2019s hopes faded. They were bowled out the next day for 212, giving New Zealand a 2-1 victory in the series \u2013 England\u2019s first defeat in a home three-match series for 14 years.<\/p>\n

Magic of Headingley<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers brook no argument,\u201d said Mike Atherton in The Times<\/a>. Stokes is one of only two all-rounders in history \u2013 the other being South Africa\u2019s Jacques Kallis \u2013 to have finished his Test career with more than 250 wickets and 7,000 runs. Yet his significance as a cricketer goes beyond statistics. He will be remembered chiefly for his unique ability to shape games \u2013 and entire teams \u2013 through the sheer force of his personality.<\/p>\n

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From his match-winning innings in the 2019 World Cup final to the way he galvanised a previously bedraggled England when he first took over as captain<\/a>, his achievements have been nothing short of remarkable, said Scyld Berry in The Daily Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet his \u201clegacy will always be\u201d that magical day at Headingley in the 2019 Ashes, when he secured one of England\u2019s most improbable victories by sharing an unbeaten stand of 76 for the final wicket with his \u201cfaithful partner Jack Leach\u201d, who contributed just one run. The moment when Stokes \u201csmote\u201d Pat Cummins to the boundary to secure the victory \u2013 and then roared, celebrated and hugged his partner \u2013 might just be \u201cthe moment that gave more people joy than any other in the history of this sport\u201d.<\/p>\n

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