Last Updated on 3 hours ago by Charbel Coorey
Brendon McCullum has hailed Ben Stokes as a “legend” after the England captain announced his retirement on day four of the third Test against New Zealand. It was quite the shock when the ECB announced the news during the second session, bringing an end to a career spanning 122 Test matches.
Stokes’s announcement sparked widespread reaction, not least in the crowd at Trent Bridge. The fans rose as one when the news filtered through, before Stokes took a wicket off the very next delivery.
Last four years have been an incredible journey – Brendon McCullum on Ben Stokes after all-rounder announced his retirement
Amid reports that McCullum and Stokes’s relationship has been strained since the Ashes, the pair have reiterated they are on good terms. McCullum was full of praise for the all-rounder, describing him as a player that inspires youngsters to pick up a bat and play with heart.
“Stokesy has provided some of the greatest moments of cricket that England has ever seen,” McCullum said, as quoted by Sport Just Sport.
“For young players, he’s been a legend that inspires them to pick up a bat, to play with heart and bravery and to give absolutely everything for his team.
“For me, the last four years have been an incredible journey. While his time as our skipper has come to an end, he will always be a great friend. May the next chapter for Ben Stokes be as great as the last.”
In an interview with Sky Sports after the fourth day’s play, Stokes admitted he was feeling “burnt out” after trying to rediscover his best form following a disappointing Ashes campaign for England.
“The whole Lord’s Test to me was something that I guess brought back some negative feelings about where I was in my career,” Stokes said.
“I’d worked so hard from getting back home [from the Ashes] to try and make things right – that’s what I thought I was doing. I’d put so much time and effort into it, I maybe potentially had burnt myself out.
“When I got to that week at Lord’s, it was a very interesting and strange feeling to go into that game. I gave myself as much time, I spoke to as many people as I possibly could through the process of this.
“As I was putting me pads on yesterday [Saturday], getting ready to go out there, that was that sort of [the] last nail in the coffin,” he said.
