Just a few days after he pulled the curtain on his international career, Ben Stokes he posted a farewell message on social media, thanking his friends, supporters and everyone who had been part of his journey during what he called “15 years of madness”.Stokes announced his retirement during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. Shortly after his official declaration, he took his last wicket in England.His international career ended in a 160-run defeat as New Zealand won the third Test and the series, with Stokes watching the closing stages from the balcony after being dismissed in his last over.The end of his career came after a busy few weeks. Stokes led England to victory in the first Test at Lord’s, missed the second Test after a night in London that prompted a traffic warning, and returned for one of the final matches in Nottingham.He also stepped up to open the batting in his final Test before England lost the qualifiers.
Posting on X after spending a few days with his family, Stokes shared a personal message to those who have supported him throughout his career.“It’s been a crazy 15 years. Everything has been thrown into it, from top to bottom (on and off the field),” Stokes wrote in a post on X. “My time was up, and nobody could have made the decision but me. But at this point, I just want to say that I love every England fan and every cricket fan who has supported me over the years.”“I love every person I have been on the field representing England. I could go on, but I hope you understand how much I loved doing what I did for 15 years. I look forward to being a fan and supporting the team, and the odd day in hospitality will never go wrong.“Family, friends, colleagues, fans… I love yas all.”