Big Match Ben bows out on his own terms

Ben Stokes ended his Test career on the penultimate day of a series against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, announcing his retirement during the match before England slipped to a 2–1 series defeat.

New Zealand closed out a 160-run win in the third Test, denying England and Stokes a winning finish to his final series.

He finishes his Test career with more than 7,000 runs and over 250 wickets, a rare double achieved only once before in Test history by Proteas great Jacques Kallis.

But Stokes’ legacy was never just about numbers. It was about moments that bent matches and got the crowd to their feet. Here are some of Ben Stokes’ defining performances.

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Perth, 2013. 120 runs in a fearless innings that announced him on the Test stage in brutal Australian conditions against a potent Australian bowling attack.

Cape Town, 2016. 258 off 198 balls. Controlled destruction, dismantling a Proteas side that that had Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel.

Headingley, 2019. England on the brink. One wicket left. 73 still needed. Stokes produced 135 not out, dragging England to one of the most improbable Ashes wins ever seen.

Lord’s, 2019. A World Cup final for the ages. 84 from 98 balls, then back for the Super Over as England secured their first ODI World Cup in one of cricket’s most dramatic finishes.

Melbourne, 2022. T20 World Cup final against Pakistan. 52 not out, anchoring England under immense pressure as another global title followed.

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Lord’s, 2023. The Ashes alive. 155 off 214 balls, the highest score of the match, a defiant stand that embodied England’s Bazball era even in defeat.

He leaves behind a career measured in runs and wickets, but remembered for what he did when everything was on the line.

Say what you will about Ben Stokes, the player, the person, Bazball, or the debates that followed every chapter of his career.

The numbers sit beside the moments. The moments sit beside the trophies. Few careers end with both statistical weight and emotional imprint in the same frame.

Big stage. Bigger response. Stokes.

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