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England skipper Ben Stokes described his retirement from international cricket as a carefully considered and deeply personal decision, saying it was made only after exhausting every possibility of carrying on.
The England great admitted he wanted to continue beyond this week but realised it "wasn't meant to be." Tom Latham-led New Zealand defeated England by 160 runs in the third Test at Trent Bridge, securing a 2-1 series win against the hosts on Monday. The match also marked the end of Ben Stokes' international career, as he experienced his first home series defeat both as a player and as captain. Reflecting on his career, Stokes said he is immensely proud of what he achieved and grateful to have brought joy to England fans around the world. While he will miss wearing the Three Lions, he acknowledged there are aspects of the game he is happy to leave behind as he closes a remarkable chapter in his career. "I would just say that at the end of the day, there might be a few questions. I'm sure a few people have. I'm sure you do, and some other people do. But I hope that it can just be respected that, at the end of the day, the most important person in making decisions is myself. And I, didn't take the decision lightly or rush into it. I had many people whom I trust to talk to these things, quite personal things about. And, I tried throughout this whole week to see if I could get myself through and see myself going beyond this week, but it wasn't meant to be. So, look, I'm very happy with everything that I've managed to do over my career. And, sadly, it's no longer going to be something I get to do. There are some things that I will miss, and there are also some things that I'm quite happy to be able to say I don't have to worry about that anymore. So, yeah, there's quite a lot of emotion, obviously, but I'm very proud of what I've done, and I'm happy that I feel like I've been able to contribute some kind of happiness to fans who come around and show us support everywhere we go in the world," Stokes said after the match. It also marked a disappointing end to Stokes' captaincy era, which began with a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand at home in 2022. This time, however, New Zealand turned the tables with a 2-1 series win, spoiling his farewell. The result also ended England's long unbeaten home run in a series of three or more Tests, which had lasted since 2012. (ANI)
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