Cricket analysis: Ben Stokes retires - Five of the England star’s greatest Test moments
England captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from Test cricket in typically dramatic fashion during England’s defeat to New Zealand in the final Test match of the series.
The announcement came whilst England were fielding on day four, with Stokes taking a wicket the ball after it was made public.
The modern day great retires with 122 Test caps and is only the second man to score more than 7000 Test runs and take over 250 Test wickets, alongside South Africa’s Jacques Kallis.
A man who isn’t just known for his numbers, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Hibbert takes a look at five moments from his Test career that have made him one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game.
Stokes announces himself
Starting your Test career in an Ashes series down under is just about as hard as it can get for an English cricketer.
This is exactly what Stokes did, at the age of 22 - in itself an impressive feat.
However, it was his knock during the second innings of his second Test appearance at the WACA in Perth that showed what he is capable of.
On a pitch that had cracks 2cm wide, against a bowling attack that included Mitchell Johnson, Stokes made 120 off 195 balls as England tried to get near to the 504 runs that was required.
England’s second top scorer in that innings was Ian Bell, getting exactly half of Stokes’ score, with Alastair Cook getting a golden duck, and Joe Root grinding out for just 19.
Whilst the knock was in vain, the manner of it gained respect all across the cricketing world and it kickstarted a phenomenal career.
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The catch
When you possess the abilities Stokes does with both bat and ball, you’d be forgiven if you were not an incredible fielder.
But if you were to watch a highlight reel of Ben Stokes fielding, you would find he is just as good at that too.
He has 115 catches in Test matches but his greatest and most famous came at Trent Bridge in 2015.
Australia were 21-4 and it was looking like England couldn’t do anything better than they already were.
But when Stuart Broad found the edge of Adam Voges, Stokes decided to pluck the ball from virtually behind him, diving to his right at fifth slip, it got even better.
England would go on to win the match by an innings and 78 runs, with the catch remaining one of the most famous in the history of Test cricket.
Best bowling figures
Whilst some of Stokes’ most magical moments have come with the bat, as he is an all rounder we should probably mention one with the ball.
His 6/22 against the West Indies in 2017 are his best figures in a Test match, after he got through the middle order and then the tail, bowling some incredible deliveries.
It meant he became only the 9th cricketer to appear on both the batting and bowling honours boards at Lord’s, alongside the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff.
Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson have since joined him on the list.
It went up alongside his 85-ball ton - the fastest century scored at the home of cricket, which he got in 2015.
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An agonising Ashes hundred
The Ashes seem to be where Ben Stokes brings his best.
The 2023 series was set to show what ‘Bazball’ was capable of, and while Australia won the second Test at Lord’s, it was nearly halted by some heroics from Ben Stokes.
England were chasing 371 in an attempt to level the series at 1-1.
The match looked to be taken away from the hosts, with Ben Duckett the only batsman other than Stokes to score more than 19.
However, Stokes would go on to spend 5 hours at the crease, hitting 9 sixes on his way to a remarkable 155.
It was ultimately a top edge which saw the England Captain fall short, as England lost by 43 runs.
Despite the defeat, it marked another moment in Stokes’ career where he carried the team on his shoulders, nearly taking them to victory in the most remarkable fashion.
Even if he had got England over the line, it wouldn’t be the first time he did something like that.
The greatest Ashes innings ever?
Without a doubt, Stokes’ greatest moment in the white of England came during the 2019 Ashes during the third Test at Headingley.
The three lions had been humiliated in the first innings as they were bowled out for 67, with Joe Denly being the only batter to make double figures.
Yet nobody remembers that as England were set a target of 359 to win, which would have to be the highest successful chase in England for over 90 years.
Whilst there were healthy contributions towards the total from the likes of Joe Root (77) and Joe Denly (50), England still needed 73 when Jack Leach came in as the last man.
Stokes had dug in to score nine off 82 balls. He would go on to score 126 from the next 137 balls that he would face.
He finished the match with a score of 135 not-out off 219 to complete England’s highest ever successful run chase in English folklore, firmly cementing himself even then as an England legend and keeping the Ashes alive.
Stokes can’t write England’s history anymore, but who will?
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