Opinion
Daniel Brettig The Age chief cricket writer Updated June 29, 2026 — 11:19am, first published June 29, 2026 — 12:48am
Updated June 29, 2026 — 11:19am, first published June 29, 2026 — 12:48am
To paraphrase the French general who watched the Charge of the Light Brigade, Ben Stokes’ retirement pageant was magnificent, but it wasn’t Test cricket. It was madness.
Stokes’ highly stage-managed exit at 3.25pm in the middle of a Test match made for some great theatre, but has left English cricket in a mess. Perhaps that was partly the intention.
In addressing teammates in the morning, Stokes used the word “selfishly”. And he went on to admit after play that this was the best decision for him. As for whether it was the best decision for English cricket, he could offer only, “I hope so.”
On Cricinfo, the respected English writer Vithushan Ehantharajah put it well: “He will be remembered as a cricketer who produced truly astounding moments. Including this one, right here. The day he decided this last moment would be for himself, and he torched the church that he built as a haven, because it had become a haven for him no more.”
Almost certainly, life is now about to get even tougher for the regime that lost the Ashes 4-1 in Australia.
Without their talismanic leader, coach Brendon McCullum, team director Rob Key and the ECB are faced with a year
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