Ben Stokes has ruled out the possibility of potentially taking a U-turn on his Test retirement and returning for the Ashes 2027 against Australia at home. The all-rounder had reportedly made up his mind to hang up his boots after the Lord’s Test, before the nightclub debacle, and finally called time on his career midway through the Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand.
No Test retirement U-turn for Ben Stokes
Back in July 2022, Stokes had retired from 50-over cricket but returned for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. The 35-year-old was asked whether he’d consider the same, but he ruled out the possibility of it. It’s clear that the 2025 Ashes took a toll on Stokes, and deep down, he was always one step away.
“I am incredibly content with everything right now. It is a decision I don’t take lightly. It has taken a lot of time. I am done and very happy. I accept people might be asking questions. But at the end of the day it’s a decision I have taken. I hope people can respect that. I understand people might be scratching their heads wondering why, and there could be many reasons. The most important reason, and one people can respect, is I’m taking this decision because I feel it’s the best thing for me,” Stokes told the BBC.
Fallout with ECB reason behind the call?
Pressed on whether the nightclub incident and the handling of it by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had any impact on his decision to retire with just the Ashes about 12 months away, Stokes stated that it probably contributed to his decision, but it’s the mental toll of the Ashes defeat Down Under that never went away.
“I am sure over the next couple of weeks we will be able to decompress and say, ‘Has it contributed?’ Maybe. But the overriding fact is that over the last six to 12 months everything I have done over a long period has taken its toll,” he added.
Harry Brook to take over as England’s Test captain?
Stokes also backed Harry Brook to replace him as England’s next Test captain. The 27-year-old wasn’t handed the captaincy for the Oval Test in Stokes’ absence, with the ECB deciding to name Joe Root as the interim skipper. The decision was made because Brook was involved in a nightclub incident himself last year, where he got punched by a bouncer. The ECB didn’t feel it was the right decision to name him as Stokes’ replacement. But Stokes endorses him over Root or others.
“There’s a reason why he was asked to be vice-captain of this team. Over the past couple of weeks, some decisions were made that I wasn’t part of making. I was under the vice-captain under Joe (Root) for a long time. It’s a natural progression. You step up when the captain isn’t available. There’s no reason why Harry shouldn’t be asked to do that. He’s one of the most senior players in the group,” Stokes said after the match.
ECB yet to decide
Meanwhile, England’s head coach Brendon McCullum didn’t name any names when talking about Stokes’ successor. At the moment, Brook is England’s white-ball captain. Do the ECB want to burden him with more responsibility? Only time will tell. Barring Root, there aren’t many other candidates, with Ben Duckett being the next best, but he doesn’t even lead his County team.
“My enthusiasm and commitment to English cricket has never wavered. I’ve got firm belief in the direction that this team can go in. Those are the conversations we need to have in due course. We’ve got a few weeks, or longer than that, before the next Test series, and we’ll have a good opportunity to sit down and map out what that looks like,” McCullum told Sky Sports.
“We’ve got some good strong leaders within the side and some options to utilise. They won’t be Ben Stokes, because Ben Stokes was very much his own kind of leader. But that’s just the nature of things. No-one can play forever, no-one can captain forever,” he added.
