Sir Andrew Strauss has voiced concerns over the timing of Ben Stokes’ international retirement, despite acknowledging that English cricket will be “far worse” and “less interesting” without the all-rounder.
The England captain’s decision to step away from the Test arena was revealed during a live match, a move Strauss believes created an unnecessary distraction.
News of Stokes’ departure, effective after the third Test against New Zealand, broke at 3.25pm on the penultimate day’s play at Trent Bridge, while he was in the midst of a bowling spell. In a moment that underscored his unique ability to rise to the occasion, Stokes remarkably claimed a wicket with his very next ball following the announcement.
Writing on his LinkedIn page, Strauss, who himself captained England, expressed his initial shock. “Like many people I was dumbfounded yesterday when the whispers started coming out that Ben Stokes was about to announce his retirement. It was both shocking and perhaps inevitable at the same time.”
He lauded Stokes’ immense contribution, stating: “This is a guy that has given everything to the England shirt but also has worn his emotions on his sleeve throughout that journey. The truth is that the job just burns you out, especially if you take on as much responsibility as Ben did in the role.”
Strauss continued his praise, calling Stokes “one of England’s genuine greats” and a “superstar” who “revelled in the big moments.” However, he did not shy away from questioning the manner of the announcement.
“I hesitate to say this but I’m not convinced that the whole thing was orchestrated the right way yesterday – it seems like a huge distraction to a team that was battling to avoid a series defeat and the the cricket in the last session very much had an ‘end of term’ feel to it,” Strauss wrote.
He suggested that announcing the decision “before or after the game seems like a more sensible approach”, emphasising that “when you are in the middle of a match, the only thing that matters is the performance of the team.”
Despite this “small gripe”, Strauss concluded by reiterating the profound impact of Stokes’ departure.
“English cricket will be far worse (and less interesting!) without Ben involved. Opposition teams will be breathing a sigh of relief and there will be a huge vacuum in the England team that will be impossible to fill.”
