{"id":187524,"date":"2026-06-29T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=187524"},"modified":"2026-06-29T12:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:30:25","slug":"no-regrets-says-stokes-after-calling-time-on-england-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=187524","title":{"rendered":"No regrets, says Stokes after calling time on England career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-body-71162790\">Ben Stokes insists he has no regrets about calling time on his 15-year England cricket career, saying: \u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stokes shocked the world of cricket on Sunday by announcing in the middle of the third test against New Zealand in Nottingham that it was his last international.<\/p>\n<p>His final day in an England jersey came on Monday, when New Zealand completed a 160-run victory to win the series 2-1 \u2014 with Stokes watching the final hours from the balcony outside England\u2019s dressing room.<\/p>\n<p>A day after his announcement, Stokes was asked by the BBC if he was going to be happy watching from the sofa when England takes on Australia in next year\u2019s home Ashes series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am incredibly content with everything right now,\u201d Stokes said. \u201cIt\u2019s a decision that you don\u2019t take lightly. It has taken a lot of time. I\u2019ve spoken to a lot of people close to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m done, mate, and I\u2019m very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stokes\u2019 decision to retire came at the end of a whirlwind few weeks in which he led England to victory in the first test at Lord\u2019s, then went on a night out with a teammate and was present in a nightclub when a member of England\u2019s security team was reportedly struck by a rugby player from English club Saracens.<\/p>\n<p>Stokes was dropped for the second test for breaching contractual obligations, and returned for the third test following the conclusion of investigations into the night out.<\/p>\n<p>He described the recent events as \u201cunfortunate\u201d and \u201cinteresting,\u201d and acknowledged they \u201cmaybe\u201d contributed to his decision to quit international cricket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut there\u2019s an overriding fact that over the last 6-12 months I think everything that I\u2019ve done over a long period of time has taken its toll,\u201d Stokes said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing in this role as captain \u2014 as good as it is, as exciting as it is, how big an honor it is \u2014 there\u2019s some negative effects to doing it. I guess that\u2019s the unfortunate side that people don\u2019t always get to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stokes has been a defining player for England over the past 15 years, playing a key role in the team\u2019s World Cup title wins in the 50-over and T20 formats and captaining the test team since 2022 in the so-called Bazball era that changed the way the game\u2019s longest and oldest format was played.<\/p>\n<p>He also attracted headlines off the field, for his fight with mental health problems and when he was found not guilty of affray in 2018 following a late-night street brawl in Bristol, southwest England, after a victory over the West Indies in an international match.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can probably look back on the week and have a bit of a laugh that there was a bit of controversy around my last game for England,\u201d Stokes said, \u201cbut I guess you could relate that to me as a player throughout.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a little bit hit and miss sometimes, here and there, and obviously something pretty simple ended up being a bit complicated.<\/p>\n<p>Stokes\u2019 departure leaves the remaining two people in England\u2019s leadership team \u2014 coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key \u2014 in the firing line.<\/p>\n<p>The series against New Zealand was supposed to be a reset after losing the Ashes 4-1 in Australia, where questions were raised about the professionalism of England\u2019s players amid concerns about a drinking culture.<\/p>\n<p><b>ALSO READ:<\/b><b><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/eng-vs-nz-third-test-score-day-5-result-scorecard-ben-stokes-tom-latham-highlights-trent-bridge\/article71161983.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bazball goes bust as New Zealand seals series in Stokes swansong<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>For many, the late-night incident involving Stokes after the Lord\u2019s test suggested lessons haven\u2019t been learned \u2014 is there, for example, a curfew in operation? \u2014 while England has lost seven of its last nine test matches, a sign the team is in decline.<\/p>\n<p>McCullum, who said he tried to talk Stokes out of retiring, said he wanted to carry on himself, four years after taking the job as coach of the test team. He is also now coach of the white-ball teams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy commitment to English cricket has never wavered,\u201d McCullum said. \u201cI firmly believe in the direction that we can get this team to take.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, former England captain Michael Vaughan said he\u2019d be \u201cabsolutely staggered\u201d if the leadership group stayed in place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere must be change,\u201d Vaughan told the        <i>BBC<\/i>, \u201cafter what we\u2019ve seen here in terms of a cricketing sense now over a period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"sub_head\">Brook has my 100% support, says Stokes<\/h4>\n<p>Stokes also backed Harry Brook to succeed him as England\u2019s Test captain after bowing out of international cricket, saying the gifted batsman had his \u201c100 percent support\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a reason he was asked to be vice-captain of this team. I know with all the controversy over the last couple of weeks, decisions were made. They were decisions I was not part of making.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are asked to be vice-captain for a reason, and I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time. It\u2019s the natural progression, if the captain is not there you step up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn\u2019t be asked to do that. He is an incredible player, one of the more senior players in this group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stokes said there was no way of knowing for sure if captaincy would boost or hinder Brook, who has an impressive batting average of over 53 in 38 Tests.<\/p>\n<p>But with England\u2019s three-Test series at home to Pakistan starting in August, Stokes had no doubts about the identity of the new red-ball skipper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I was to be asked who I think should do it, I would be throwing my 100 percent support behind Harry Brook,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><i>With inputs from AFP<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"publish-time\" id=\"end-of-article\">Published on Jun 29, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/ben-stokes-retirement-england-international-cricket-no-regrets-playing-career\/article71162790.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben Stokes insists he has no regrets about calling time on his 15-year England cricket career, saying: \u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d Stokes shocked the world of cricket on Sunday by announcing in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":187525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-187524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-29T141343Z_1502349872_UP1EM6T13ITZH_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":187138,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=187138","url_meta":{"origin":187524,"position":0},"title":"Stokes opens batting in farewell Test, gets dismissed for 30","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England captain Ben Stokes fell for 30 in his last international innings after announcing his surprising retirement from international cricket on Sunday in the middle of the third Test. The 35-year-old all-rounder confirmed his impending exit shortly before tea on the fourth day of the ongoing third Test against New\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP_B8L879M.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP_B8L879M.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP_B8L879M.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP_B8L879M.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP_B8L879M.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":187252,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=187252","url_meta":{"origin":187524,"position":1},"title":"Ben Stokes \u2018content\u2019 after extraordinary England exit","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England captain Ben Stokes insisted he felt \u201ccontent\u201d after announcing his shock retirement from international cricket on Sunday in the middle of a Test match. The 35-year-old all-rounder confirmed his exit shortly before Tea on the fourth day of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand in Nottingham, having informed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-28T175150Z_1094004680_UP1EM6S1DMCAU_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-28T175150Z_1094004680_UP1EM6S1DMCAU_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-28T175150Z_1094004680_UP1EM6S1DMCAU_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-28T175150Z_1094004680_UP1EM6S1DMCAU_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-28T175150Z_1094004680_UP1EM6S1DMCAU_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":184076,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=184076","url_meta":{"origin":187524,"position":2},"title":"Stokes and Atkinson cleared by Cricket Regulator after nightclub incident","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson will face no further action over the nightclub incident that prompted their exile from missing last week\u2019s second Test against New Zealand. The Cricket Regulator\u2019s ruling on Monday, which effectively clears the England captain and his team-mate, comes after the duo were recalled on Sunday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image203.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image203.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image203.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":179076,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179076","url_meta":{"origin":187524,"position":3},"title":"Stokes, Atkinson left out for second New Zealand Test; Root named interim captain","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England Test captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been left out of England\u2019s squad for the second Test of its series against New Zealand. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced it was looking into Stokes and Atkinson\u2019s involvement in a nightclub incident on Monday morning following England\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Britain_England_New_Zealand_Cricket_433_3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Britain_England_New_Zealand_Cricket_433_3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Britain_England_New_Zealand_Cricket_433_3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Britain_England_New_Zealand_Cricket_433_3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Britain_England_New_Zealand_Cricket_433_3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":183564,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=183564","url_meta":{"origin":187524,"position":4},"title":"Stokes to return as England captain for 3rd New Zealand Test &#8211; McCullum","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"en Stokes will return as England captain for next week\u2019s third and deciding Test against New Zealand in Nottingham, England head coach Brendon McCullum announced Sunday. Stokes was stood down from England\u2019s 253-run defeat by New Zealand in the second Test at the Oval for breaching a team curfew following\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image2082.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image2082.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image2082.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image2082.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image2082.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":185022,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=185022","url_meta":{"origin":187524,"position":5},"title":"England captain Stokes insists he is \u2018man enough\u2019 to apologise after curfew breach","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Returning captain Ben Stokes insisted he had been \u201cman enough\u201d to apologise to his England team-mates after missing the last Test for breaching a curfew. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were dropped from the second Test against New Zealand after breaking a midnight curfew in an incident at a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-23T131401Z_162362782_UP1EM6N10RCV1_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-23T131401Z_162362782_UP1EM6N10RCV1_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-23T131401Z_162362782_UP1EM6N10RCV1_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-23T131401Z_162362782_UP1EM6N10RCV1_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-23T131401Z_162362782_UP1EM6N10RCV1_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-MMA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=187524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/187525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=187524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=187524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=187524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}